KZN man jailed for trying to kidnap 13-year-old girl

A KWAZULU-NATAL man who tried to kidnap a 13-year-old Mpumalanga girl has been jailed for five years.

The court heard that the teenager was walking alone from school in Aerorand, Middleburg, in August 2018 when Sthembiso Amon Mchunu grabbed her and tried to drag her into his VW Polo.

However, the girl’s distressed screams attracted the attention of a group of nearby bricklayers who swiftly rushed to her aid.

Hawks’ captain Dineo Sekgotodi said the 36-year-old Mchunu was not working alone because when he fled the scene he abandoned the Polo then got into another car that was nearby and it sped off.

She said they also found that the car Mchunu had abandoned had been rented from a car rental business in Johannesburg.

Mchunu was traced by the police and arrested four months later in Ladysmith, KwaZulu-Natal.

On Monday Mchunu was found guilty of attempted kidnapping by the Middelburg Regional Court and sentenced to five years’ direct imprisonment.

He was also declared unfit to possess a firearm.

Head of Hawks in Mpumalanga Major-General Zodwa Mokoena welcomed the sentencing of Mchunu, saying they were encouraged by it.

“We hope that such a sentence will send a strong message to all those who may be thinking of embarking on nefarious activities and that

there are severe consequences for inflicting pain on innocent children,” she said.

“I also want to commend the investigating and prosecuting teams for the hard work that led to the arrest and conviction of Mchunu,” she said.