A Mitchells Plain teacher was allegedly hijacked and kidnapped with her daughter as they were returning home from church.
The 47-year-old mom from Searidge Park in Tafelsig said their eight hours of terror started around 8pm last Wednesday.
She tells the Daily Voice: “Myself and my daughter returned from church in Khayelitsha. While we were driving I noticed a car behind us, taking every turn we did.
“I went into a state of panic and drove to our road because I thought it would be busy as usual. I parked opposite our house to allow the car to pass us.”
However, the car stopped behind them.
“I looked up and saw a man standing next to my window with a gun, he told me to open.
“I looked around and saw another two men also with guns at my daughter’s window,” the woman recalled.
“I said ‘no’ a few times, thinking someone in our road would come out, but nobody did.”
The teacher said that the men hijacked her blue Ford EcoSport and asked in which direction Khayelitsha was.
“They told us to put our heads down so I couldn’t see where we were. They took our cellphones and a wallet with around R60 inside.
“I asked them to not hurt us and to just take the car, but they said they don’t want the car, they were hired to kill me for R10 000.
“They asked if I had R8 000 in my account or if a family member could pay for our release, I said no but ended up asking my sister, who could only give R3 000 which she paid.”
She said that when she asked the kidnappers who wanted her dead, the one replied “that he couldn’t tell me as his life would be in danger but that I must pray about it and the answer would come to me”.
The vrou added that she has no idea who would want her dead, and the kidnappers drove around for hours, eating tshisinyama and suiping.
“They dropped us between shacks and told us to walk straight, and they then disappeared with my car.
“Eventually we got a taxi to stop and help us get to Site C police station, who couldn’t help us because of load shedding.
“We then ended up calling a friend who is a police officer to come and get us.”
Police spokesperson FC van Wyk confirmed that a case of hijacking and kidnapping is being investigated by Mitchells Plain SAPS.
“We can confirm that the victims were found unharmed. No arrests have been made as yet. The complainant’s vehicle has been circulated and is not recovered as yet.”
tracy-lynn.ruiters@inl.co.za