Johannesburg - The family of an 18-year-old University of Johannesburg student who was abducted over the weekend are relieved after she was found unharmed.
The abduction apparently took place while Kwanele Mazibuko was standing outside her Auckland Park commune with an unidentified male companion, and three armed men hijacked and abducted them.
“It was scary when we heard that she was taken and nobody knew what the reason behind it was,” said Simphiwe Buthelezi, Kwanele’s sister, who spoke to The Star on Tuesday.
Buthelezi said she received a call from Kwanele’s friend on Saturday night, who informed them about the incident.
“We were worried. I don’t wish that sort of feeling on anyone. Her friend was hysterical on the phone because she too was terrified,” she said.
According to an eyewitness, Kwanele and her companion were forced into a grey Toyota Corolla by the pair of armed assailants who then drove off.
In a bid to ensure that Kwanele was found, messages raising awareness of her abduction circulated on social media between Saturday and Sunday evening.
Kwanele, who has returned to her hometown of Nqutu in KwaZulu-Natal to recuperate after the ordeal, said she was coming to terms with the incident and was glad to have escaped harm.
She explained that two of her friends came to visit her on Saturday before they were abducted.
“We were standing outside for about five minutes and then we saw a Corolla park behind our car.
“Three guys with guns jumped out and forced us into their car while one of them drove my friend’s car,” she said.
Kwanele said they were then driven to Ekurhuleni while avoiding major routes.
Her friends was interrogated to determine whether a tracker had been installed in his vehicle.
“He said he didn’t have one. That’s when they took our cellphones and money we had on us,” she said.
“They then took us to some spot, told us to get out of the car and directed us to the nearest police station.”
The UJ student said the ordeal was traumatic, but she found herself in a calm state as it unfolded.
“They didn’t seem like they would harm us, but they had guns and that was the scary part. I am just grateful we were not harmed because we co-operated with them,” she said.
Police spokesperson Captain Mavela Masondo confirmed that cases of hijacking and abduction were being investigated, but no arrests had been made.
“The two were found in Zonk’iZizwe at around 2am on Sunday and they were unharmed. Police are still investigating the matter and hope to make arrests soon,” Masondo said.