Yet another member of the Indian community in Thohoyandou was kidnapped in the past week. Fortunately, the 19-year-old man was rescued by the Thohoyandou police, who were trying to trace a stolen car when they stumbled upon the young man. The discovery of the kidnap victim also marked a breakthrough in the investigation, and by Tuesday, one person had been arrested.
On Friday, 16 June, the young Zaid Kapadia from Sibasa was abducted by unknown assailants while on his way to the shops. From the little bit of information that became available, the kidnappers had apparently contacted the family and demanded a large ransom.
Things took a dramatic turn on Sunday when the police visited a house at Ngovhela, outside Thohoyandou, while tracing a car that had been reported stolen. On arrival at the house, the two occupants of the house scaled the wall and managed to flee from the police. The stolen car was found, covered in a blanket. On searching the house, the police found Kapadia. His hands were tied, and his head was covered with a bag.
The father of the boy, Mr Mubarak Ayub Kapadia, said on Wednesday that they were extremely relieved to have their son back. He was not around when Zaid was kidnapped.
"[When I was] informed by a family member, my heart sank, and a wave of panic washed over me. We frantically began a search, scouring every corner and hoping to find my child. Minutes turned into agonising hours, and my worry grew with each passing moment. It felt like an eternity, but there was no sign of my precious child anywhere," he said.
When Kapadia heard on Sunday that the police had found Zaid, a wave of relief flushed over him. "I raced to the police station," he said, but his emotions were a mixture of trepidation, joy, anxiety, and anticipation. "Seeing my son at the station, my heart swelled with love and relief. The sight of my child, whom I had feared lost, brought tears to my eyes," said Kapadia.
Kapadia's abduction was one of several reported in Vhembe over the past few weeks. On May 31, a well-known Thohoyandou businessman, Mr Ismail Muhammed Patel (65), was kidnapped and taken to an unknown address, where the kidnappers started making demands for ransom. They allegedly made withdrawals from his bank accounts and left him starved while they used his money. He was only released six days later, on 5 June. Whether any ransom money was paid for his release remains unclear.
A member of the local Indian community, who did not want his name mentioned, said the community was overwhelmed by fear, anger, and frustration but now also a rising hope. "The Indian community lauds the Thohoyandou SAPS for the safe return of the victim," he said, adding that they had started to lose faith in the police. "This and other incidents have raised the question of whether we, as an Indian community, are safe and taken care of seriously, or taken for granted by the authorities," he said.
One of the problems pointed out by the Indian community is the lack of communication. "We called the Thohoyandou police on several occasions, but the phone went unanswered when we wanted an update. We hope that this will help solve the other kidnapping cases," he said.
Mr Wamashudu Muhali, a civic leader in Ngovhela village where Kapadia was found, said the incident had shocked them. "Our village has become a safe haven for criminals. We are no longer safe here. We are worried that the police did not do anything to arrest the suspects, who were fleeing on foot. They had all the resources to catch them, but they did nothing. As a community, we will stand together and make sure that criminals have no place among us," he said.
When asked to comment on the latest, as well as the previous kidnapping incidents, Limpopo police spokesperson Col Malesela Ledwaba said they could not provide any information for the safety of the victims. "Kindly note that the SAPS do not comment on active kidnapping cases as we would not want to place the lives of the victims in jeopardy," he said.