Men accused of kidnapping shift blame

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MBABANE – Two men who were arrested for allegedly kidnapping a Rwandan businessman’s daughter say their co-accused, who is also from Rwanda, ordered them to kidnap the minor.

However, Sandile Gamedze (29) and Sandile Mabila (24) of Lomahasha said they refused to commit the offence. They stated that they lied to Mukunde Allen (39), who is also a businessman and stays at Ngwane Park in Manzini that they were unable to kidnap the child because there were many people in the house she was staying in.

Ransom

They alleged that, instead, Allen kidnapped the child himself and demanded a ransom and the minor’s family gave him E20 000 for the return of their daughter.

The three men were arrested and charged with two counts. They are alleged to have kidnapped the minor on November 27, 2023 at Fairview North, Manzini. The charge sheet states that they put the minor in the boot of a white motor veregistered SSD 284 BH and drove with her to Ngwane Park/ KaShali, where she was kept for the whole night.

They were also charged with extortion in that on the following day, they allegedly threatened the kidnapped child’s father that they would take his daughter to the Republic of South Africa unless he paid them E20 000, which he paid.

Detained

The trio was arrested by Manzini police on November 28, 2023. They were detained at Zakhele Remand Centre. They appeared at the magistrates court, and were remanded in custody. Gamedze and Mabila applied for bail in the High Court. They were represented by Noncedo Ndlangamandla of Mabila Attorneys. The pair denied committing the offence. They said they would plead not guilty during their trial.

Gamedze told the court that they met their Rwandan co-accused, Allen, a couple of years ago at Lomahasha Border Gate, where they earned a living carried travellers’ luggage for money. He said Allen used to travel to Mozambique frequently to buy stock for his business.

He said they became acquainted with him and he sometimes called and sent them money rang

Principal Judge Qinisile Mabuza heard the bail application filed by Sandile Gamedze and Sandile Mabila, who are alleged to have kidnapped a Rwandan girl. ing from E100 and E200. On hindsight, he said Allen was allegedly luring them ‘into his dirty world’.

According to Gamedze, Allen allegedly invited them to stay at his residence at Ngwane Park. He alleged that Allen told them that he wanted them to stay with him because he was offering them a job in his business.

Generously

We moved to his place, where he would feed us and buy us alcohol generously. We are just young men from the rural areas of Lomahasha and we were enjoying the life he had offered us,” said Gamedze.

He stated that after some time, Allen informed them that he had a job for them to do and took them to Mankayane, where he allegedly told them that they had to kidnap the child of his former employer.

“He showed us the house and left us to do the job. We refused to do what he had said and instead lied to him and said it was impossible to do it because there many people in the home. He took us there about three times and we still did not do what he had ordered us to do,” Gamedze informed the court.

He submitted that Allen started blackmailing them and telling that he had spent a lot of money feeding and buying them alcoholic drinks, but they let him down.

Informed

He informed the court that this went on and one day he took them to town. Gamedze said he could not take it anymore and made an excuse that he was going to the bathroom. He said instead he ran away and boarded a bus to Lomahasha, leaving his co-accused, Mabila behind.

Allen, according to Gamedze, constantly called him and threatened to hurt Mabila if he did not return.

“I eventually returned to Ngwane Park after a week. Upon my return, the pressure for us to commit crimes for him mounted, and again I went back home, this time with my co-accused. While at Lomahasha, the accused (Allen) called and said he was from Mozambique and would like to see us to iron out our differences.

“Instead he took us to Manzini, where he started demanding back all the money he had spent on us. He was very aggressive in doing so. We did not have the money. He left and returned in the company of a young girl, whom we learnt he had kidnapped from another Rwandan family known to him.”

According to Gamedze, Allen left the child with Mabila and instructed him (Gamedze) to travel with him to Lomahasha where he wanted to purchase a SIM card and cellphone. Gamedze informed the court that upon purchasing the cellphone and SIM card, Allen allegedly instructed him to call the family of the kidnapped girl and demand a ransom.

Recognise

Allen, according to Gamedze, told him that he would not make the call himself because the family would recognise his voice as they were known to him.

“On that evening, having made the ransom call, he arranged for the child to be taken to his father and that he got the ransom. Indeed, he got the ransom and the child was reunited with her family. The following morning, while he was asleep, we left his place and returned home.”

Gamedze and Mabila were arrested later that evening by Lomahasha police and were taken to Manzini Police Station. The pair appeared before Principal Judge Qinisile Mabuza. They were granted bail in the sum of E15 000. They were ordered to pay E3 000 and provide sureties for the balance of E12 000.