The Daily Telegraph

Elite police hunt for kidnapped British pair in South Africa

- By Krista Mahr in Johannesbu­rg

AN ELITE South African police force is searching for a British couple who were kidnapped more than a week ago near a popular holiday spot in southern Kwazulu-natal province.

The couple, who live in Cape Town and have dual British and South African citizenshi­p, were kidnapped on Feb 12 near the Bivane dam in the small

town of Vryheid. Police declined to disclose their names, but local media reported the couple, a 74-year-old man who moved from Britain in the Seventies and his South African-born wife, 63, were on holiday in the area to collect indigenous plants and seeds.

The victims’ vehicle was found in the northern part of the city of Durban and was undergoing forensic investigat­ion, said Captain Lloyd Ramovha, a spokesman for the Hawks police unit.

“We’ve got a dedicated team that’s out there 24-7,” Capt Ramovha said. “The search continues.”

Local media reported that police had linked the disappeara­nce to an Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant-affiliated cell in South Africa, but Capt Ramovha denied that anything in the case “pointed to” Isil activity.

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