Platinum Weekly – QUICK-THINKING SON FOIL KIDNAPPING IN PHOKENG

Rustenburg – In a remarkable display of courage and quick thinking, a 20-year-old man from Phokeng played a crucial role in rescuing his kidnapped mother and helping to arrest two suspects involved in a gruesome early morning crime.

This incident, which occurred on Monday, April 8, 2024, began when a 47-year-old widow was forcibly taken from her home in Chaneng, Phokeng, just outside Rustenburg.

According to Colonel Adéle Myburgh, the widow who had just returned from work was ambushed in her driveway by five assailants. They grabbed her Toyota Corolla and forced her into their Mercedes Benz before driving away. Her son, who became concerned because she did not return from work at the usual time, contacted her to check on her. Despite her coercive reassurance that she was helping a neighbor in a hospital, her son sensed something was wrong.

By activating the installed tracking system in her car, he discovered that the vehicle was not at the hospital as claimed, but in Mooinooi. He wasted no time and quickly reported his mother missing at the Mooinooi police station. This led to a coordinated response from several police units, including Crime Intelligence, Mooinooi and Phokeng Detective Units, the Tactical Response Team (TRT) and the Tshwane Metro Police Department (TMPD).

The abandoned Toyota was soon located in Mooinooi, and further intelligence led authorities to the Mercedes Benz in Soshanguve. There the police were successfully able to arrest two suspects. The victim was found unharmed at Akasia Police Station later that day, following threats from her captors to transfer money through a forced bank transaction.

The suspects, identified as William Aphane (31) and David Mashabela (43), appeared at the Bafokeng Magistrates’ Court in Tlhabane on April 12. They were charged with kidnapping, armed robbery and pointing a firearm and were remanded in custody pending a bail application set for April 19.

Lt. Gen. Sello Kwena, the Provincial Police Commissioner, expressed his gratitude to all officers and community members involved in the operation.