Durban - Kidnap victim Sandra Munsamy was held under the most inhumane, undignified conditions for 162 days, the Durban Regional Court heard yesterday, when it also learned that the detective investigating the matter had a watertight case against the four accused.
Two of the four, who stood guard over Munsamy, 45, made a bail application before Magistrate Anand Maharaj yesterday. In an affidavit to the court, Warrant Officer Abraham Sonnekus, of the Directorate of Priority Crime Investigations (DPCI) Port Shepstone, detailed why accused 3 and 4 should not be granted bail.
The court has ordered the media not to name the men due to ongoing investigations.
Businesswoman Munsamy was travelling in Pinetown on May 30 last year when she was accosted by a group of armed men.
Sonnekus said they fired shots at her while she was in her vehicle as well as the occupants of a marked security vehicle.
The men had forced Munsamy out of her vehicle at gunpoint and into one of the vehicles they were travelling in. She was robbed of her cellphones, handbag and jewellery.
Sonnekus said sometime thereafter they blindfolded Munsamy, bound her with cable ties and forced her into the boot of a second vehicle.
They then drove for about seven hours to Jackals Creek in Gauteng, where she was held blindfolded and bound with cable ties in a room for a few days.
Thereafter she was again placed into the boot of a vehicle and transported to a property in Witbank. Here she was restrained in a bedroom with a chain and padlock around her ankle for 162 days, until she was rescued by police on November 7.
Sonnekus said accused 3 and 4 were complicit in detaining Munsamy under the most inhumane, undignified condition. Holes were drilled into the walls to secure the chain, which allowed her to move between a single bed, the toilet and bathroom.
The house was modified so that Munsamy would not have any exposure to the outside world. There was no visibility from the outside, neither could she be heard by neighbours if she screamed. Chipboard was fitted to the windows from the inside.
During the time of Munsamy’s confinement, numerous demands for ransom of $10million were made to her family.
Sonnekus said accused 1 and 2, who were Mozambicans, were arrested at Jackals Creek. They were found in possession of cellphones linked to the demands for ransom made to the Munsamy family.
Accused 3 and 4, of Mpumalanga, were arrested in the Witbank house when police rescued Munsamy. Their role was to guard Munsamy. Accused 3 had a licensed firearm in his possession.
Sonnekus said the case against the men was watertight.
Arguing for them not to be granted bail, Sonnekus said accused 3 and 4 were flight risks. He said they faced lengthy prison terms if convicted. They were also in possession of detailed intelligence on every member of Munsamy’s family, as well as their business activities and movements.
Sonnekus said because of their failure to secure the ransom money, it was highly likely that if released on bail, they would target another family member or another person in the same financial position.
He said the accused had the means and know-how to evade bail reporting conditions. Accused 3 and 4 frequently crossed the border to Mozambique by foot and vehicle and it was nearly impossible to secure their attendance for trial in South Africa as there was no extradition deal with Mozambique.
Sonnekus said Munsamy was traumatised, dehydrated and malnourished, and in an emotional state when police arrived. The court was shown a picture of Munsamy to show the extent of her condition when she was found.
Maharaj said the bail application would continue next month after the accused’s attorneys, Thobile Sigcau and Mxolisi Nxasana, asked for time to prepare a response.
Daily News