FIVE MONTHS OF TERROR
Sandra Munsamy tells court of her ordeal
FOR 162 days, Sandra Munsamy was held captive. For most of that time she was kept chained at the ankle inside a house in Mpumalanga.
This week, during the trial of her alleged kidnappers in the Durban High Court, she broke down as she described her five months of terror.
It started on May 30, 2019, when Munsamy, the chief financial officer for the family business XMoor Transport, was on her way home from work.
It was around 5.39pm when she noticed she was being followed by a grey Mercedes-Benz car with Gauteng number plates.
Testifying via camera from another room in the courthouse, the 46-year-old mother of two said as she was about to enter the M13 from Stapleton Road in Pinetown, a white BMW 1 Series reversed into her black Range Rover. When she tried to reverse, the Mercedes blocked her way.
“I screamed and then heard two gunshots. I opened the door. I was afraid and became disorientated. Two men pulled me out of the vehicle. I sat down facing the oncoming traffic. I begged them to leave me, to take my belongings or the vehicle.
“They told me they required me for 30 minutes and would drop me off once the tracker was removed from my vehicle. I got up from the floor and went with them but they tried to put me into the boot of the BMW.
“I could not fit into the boot and they repeatedly banged the boot lid on my legs. That caused a blood clot which is still evident till today. They moved me to the back seat of the BMW and three men sat on me,” she said.
Munsamy said she prayed to Jesus as they drove and as her jewellery was being removed. It included a set of Louis Vuitton hoop earrings, a Gucci watch, a gold eternity ring with three diamonds and a gold Louis Vuitton bracelet.
Munsamy testified that shortly afterwards she was put into the boot of the Mercedes that had followed her.
“We began travelling but they stopped twice. The first time they searched me for my cellphone. The second time I was told that they needed me for 30 minutes and would drop me thereafter,” she said.
However, Munsamy said she knew her kidnappers were heading to Gauteng, given the number plates. She said during the trip she slipped in and out of consciousness.
“When I gained consciousness, we had arrived at the destination. The boot was opened and about five men wearing balaclavas surrounded me. A black cloth was put over my head and I was taken out of the boot and into a house.”
Munsamy said she was taken to a room in the house. A short while later a man, who she subsequently heard people call “The Boss”, entered the room.
He told her that they had made contact with her family and assured them that she was safe.
According to Munsamy, two men, whom she called Michael and Gabriel, were always present in the room.
“To my understanding, they were there to look after me.”
Munsamy said she spent the night with the black cloth around her head. The next morning “The Boss” told her he would remove it.
“He said ‘no screaming or shouting when it is removed’. The cover was removed and the very first thing I noticed was blood on my feet.
“I asked one of the men in the room, Gabriel, where the blood had come from. He said he is not sure. When Michael walked into the room, I asked him if he knew where the blood had come from. He said I was injured when the glass from my vehicle shattered.”
Munsamy said she was given three continental pillows and a duvet to use that night. She slept on a mattress on the floor. Michael and Gabriel also slept on mattresses on the floor.
“The next morning, I was given a toothbrush, onesie (pyjamas), face cloth, and a set of clothes. I was asked to freshen up and remove the clothing I was wearing. I was then covered with a duvet cover and led down the passage to the bathroom.”
Munsamy said she spoke to “The Boss” a day or two later.
“He told me that they were going to call my family. He had been speaking to them and, according to him, they were going to give him what he wanted. He said that in the next two days they would drop me off at home.”
Munsamy said one of the men called her brother, Inderan Naicker.
“He asked how I was. I said I was fine. I told him not to alert the police because they had told me to tell my brother that. They said I would be dropped off in two days.”
Munsamy said the promise was not kept. Instead on April 4, the man she named Michael told her they were going for a long drive.
“I was told to use the restroom and freshen up. All of my belongings were removed from the room. I begged Michael not to put me back in the boot. A duvet cover was placed over my head and I was pushed into the boot of the Mercedes.”
Munsamy said when they stopped, she was taken out of the boot. The duvet cover was put back over her head and she was taken into a house.
“The duvet was removed when we were in the passage. I was asked to sit on a mattress and a chain was put around my ankle to restrict my movement. The chain was also connected to a gate in the passage.
“The night went by. The next morning, I waited for instructions. They told me to be patient.”
Munsamy said days went by and there was no further information about her returning home.
“I asked Gabriel, but there was very little information. I was just asked to wait until ‘The Boss’ made contact. One evening I was asked to get off the floor, sit on the chair and expect a call from ‘The Boss’.
“Michael brought the phone to me. I was connected to ‘The Boss’. He said he knew my family very well, he knew me very well, and that I handle all the finances of the business.
“He said my family were very wealthy and they were looking for an amount of $10 million. He said that if they did not pay, they would keep me for a year and that he would even move me across the border.
“I told him we didn’t have that kind of money because of the country’s situation. He said I should make contact with my family and make the request. The call was dropped,” she said.
Munsamy said thereafter her brother was called and she was told to inform him of their demands.
“My brother said ’tell them we don’t have this money’. I told him if we don’t give them this money, they would keep me for a year. I told him the longer you take, the longer they will keep me. He mentioned that my mum and dad were sick, then the call was disconnected.”
Munsamy said thereafter days went by without any communication with her family.
“I grew worried, not knowing about my children, not knowing about tomorrow. They moved me to another room and the chain was bolted to a wall. The chain would be removed from my ankle if I needed to shower or go to the loo…”
On November 7, 2019, Munsamy was rescued from a house in Emalahleni (Witbank) following a joint operation by several law enforcement agencies.
The case was transferred to KwaZulu-Natal and assigned to Detective Warrant Officer RM Govender of the Provincial Organised Crime Unit.
Lucas John Ndlovu, 36, Dumisani Radebe, 39, both of Mpumalanga, and Mozambican nationals Jose Omega Tembe, 38, and Arthur Da Silva Mondlane, 36, both of Gauteng, were arrested and charged with kidnapping and attempted extortion in November 2019.
Radebe, Tembe and Mondlane were also charged with robbery with aggravating circumstances.
Tembe and Mondlane were further charged with Contravention of the Immigration Act for entering or remaining in the Republic of South Africa without a valid permit.
At the start of the trial on Monday, all four men pleaded not guilty.
The trial is ongoing.