Boot horror: Three held

2008-03-26 15:38

Thabisile Khoza and Walter Ka Nkosi

Ohrigstad - Three men were arrested on Wednesday morning in connection with kidnapping Limpopo game lodge manager Hennielene Botha, 46, who was later found hiding in a pit toilet.

They were arrested in Alverton village near Burgersfort and have been charged with robbery, kidnapping and vehicle theft.

Botha was abducted from her house in Iketla Lodge near Ohrigstad at about 22:30 on Saturday night while her husband, Albert, was working at the lodge nearby.

The suspects robbed her and forced her into the boot of the family's silver-grey Toyota Corolla and drove off.

They then found a group of about 14 foreign tourists whose vehicle had broken down near the lodge and robbed them of cellphones, cameras, cash and other items and continued on their way.

When the tourists got to the lodge they told Botha's husband they had heard a woman calling for help from inside the boot of the car.

"The suspects drove around for a few hours with her and later dumped her in the street without hurting her," said Limpopo police spokesperson Superintendent Mohale Ramatseba.

Tip-off

The suspects had also stopped at an ATM in Mecklenburg and withdrawn R500 from her account.

Limpopo and Mpumalanga police worked together to trace the suspects, who were found sleeping at a house in Alverton at about 05:00 on Wednesday morning after police received a tip-off.

"We recovered all the cellphones, bank cards, a laptop as well as the Bothas' car at the house," said Ramatseba.

Two of the suspects come from Tubatse while one is from Mecklenburg.

They will appear in the Tubatse Magistrate's Court soon. Botha was found when a resident of Fanteng village called Mahkulundaba Nkuna, 62, went to use a pit toilet and found Botha hiding inside.

Nkuna called neighbours for help.

Ramatseba said Botha was treated for shock.

- African Eye