Family and supporters of 54-year-old Abdulmani Mohammed, one of the accused in the Eddie Gouveia kidnapping case, celebrated a small victory when he was granted bail of R10,000 by the court in Louis Trichardt last Friday, 16 May.
Mohammed, one of 12 individuals arrested for their alleged involvement in the kidnapping of the Louis Trichardt businessman on 16 October last year, has been applying for bail since his arrest on 31 October 2024. Gouveia was rescued from his captors at Nkuzana village on 24 January 2025 and returned safely to his family.
As usual, Mohammed was supported by family, friends, fellow businessmen, members of the Somalian Congregation and religious leaders during his court appearance on Friday. Bishops handed over a memorandum, pledging their support for the accused and urging the court to release him on bail as they believed he is not a flight risk.
The Louis Magistrate's Court granted Mohammed bail, but with strict conditions. These include not having any contact with the victim or interfering with any witnesses in the case. Mohammed must also report to the Mpumalanga Police Station once a week between 06:00 and 20:00. He was further ordered to surrender all travel documents and was prohibited from applying for new ones. His case was postponed until 10 June.
Mohammed is accused number five in the case. Appearing with him in court last Friday was accused number four, Khumbulani Nyathi. Unlike Mohammed, Nyathi will remain behind bars for at least another three weeks, with his bail application postponed until 19 June.
Immediately after Mohammed was granted bail, his supporters held an impromptu meeting outside the courtroom to raise the necessary funds, marking the end of Mohammed's seven-month-long incarceration.
Mohammed was warmly welcomed after his release. One of the businesspeople who has supported him from the start, Roba Mohammed Sied, expressed his happiness at Mohammed's release.
"Mohammed was framed in this matter. He is not guilty of committing the kidnapping. I know how painful it is to be falsely accused and arrested for something one did not do. We have consistently maintained that Mohammed is innocent, and we believe the truth will come out sooner rather than later," he said. "We are not claiming Mohammed is guilty, but we are here to offer support to him and his family. We are here to ensure that the case progresses fairly, and that justice is served. We hope Mohammed will adhere to the conditions set, so that justice can prevail," Roba Mohammed continued.