Stellenbosch police have confirmed a case of kidnapping was being investigated after an incident involving a student earlier this week.
According to police a student was walking in Du Toit Street in the Stellenbosch CBD, on his way to his car around 01:30 this past Wednesday (15 October) when he saw a white BMW next to his parked vehicle. In the BMW he spotted one of his friends and approached the car to investigate.
The student apparently opened the passenger door to find out if there was any problem and the driver allegedly grabbed and forced him into the BMW. “The person at the back of the vehicle pointed a firearm at the complainant’s head and demanded his cellphone,” said Capt Nathalie Martin, spokesperson for Stellenbosch police. “He handed it over, and he and his friend were still in the car when the suspects took off. His friend managed to jump from the vehicle.”
The complainant also managed to jump from the car and ran to De Lapa in Bird Street to find his friend. Both were taken to hospital for medical treatment.
Martin confirmed no arrests had been made and the case was under investigation.
Incidents of kidnapping and attempted kidnapping have been on the rise over the last year.
Last June, in two separate incidents, three cyclists were kidnapped and held for ransom on the Franschhoek Pass. One involved only one cyclist and the other two Stellenbosch University students, and in both cases the abductors travelled to Grabouw with their victims.
Later on in the year a female student was snatched from the Stellenbosch CBD and also held for ransom. At the time police said the 20-year-old was walking to her residence from a restaurant in Plein Street when she was snatched by two occupants of an unknown vehicle around 02:40 on 3 October 2024. “The suspects demanded a ransom from the family of the hostage,” Captain FC van Wyk, a provincial spokesperson, stated after the incident.
The two suspects have since been arrested and charged with kidnapping and extortion.
Anyone with information on the latest case was asked to contact Stellenbosch police on 021 809 5015.
