By BAKANG MOKOTO
A truck driver aged 44 has been arrested for kidnapping. It is alleged that a man and his wife hitchhiked on a truck from Bela-Bela en route to Klerksdorp on the evening of 27 September 2023. This allegation comes after the driver told the couple that he was going to Cape Town via Rustenburg.
The North West police spokesperson, Captain Sam Tselanyane said the couple then agreed that they would drive with him until Rustenburg. Tselanyane said along the way, the driver made several stops and at Brits Total Garage, Alpha crossing, the man alighted the truck to go and buy food leaving his wife (24) sleeping on the bed behind the seats.
“Upon his return, he found neither the truck nor his wife. The matter was reported to the police and the search for the truck immediately ensued. On 28 October 2023, a team of Brits detectives, Crime Intelligence, Visible Policing, and District Officers continued with the search.
“The truck was eventually tracked via the CCTV footage and the owner was contacted. He confirmed the tracking movements of the truck including the exact location. As a result, the truck was found just before entering Thabazimbi,” he said.
Tselanyane further said the driver conceded during questioning that, indeed, he gave the complaint and his wife a lift and that while the husband was out of the truck at Total Garage to buy food, he drove off with his wife. He added that the driver informed the police that he left the victim at a petrol filling station in Mooinooi and proceeded to Rustenburg.
“Consequently, the woman was found at Mooinooi Police Station, where she went to seek help. The truck driver was then arrested and charged with kidnapping. He is expected to appear before the Brits Magistrate’s Court on 2 October 2023,” said Tselanyane.
Meanwhile, the North West Police Commissioner, Lieutenant General Sello Kwena, lauded the work displayed by both the SAPS members in conjunction with private security company personnel. Kwena warned that those who continue to perpetrate crimes against the most vulnerable of society will have to face the full might of the law.
The Guardian 