The family of a Bloekombos man say they are having sleepless nights after he was stripped naked, tied up with barbed wire and abducted in what appears to be a mob justice attack.
Jason Makasi, 22, hasn’t been seen since the incident on Monday after he was accused of theft, says his worried aunt Maria Pharo.
Maria says Jason’s mother, Elizabeth Kouter, is traumatised and they are now fearing for his life.
“We are very worried and we hope he is still alive. But even if we can just find his body we would find peace and closure,” the crying woman says.
She says the trouble started when a drunk man accused Jason of stealing from him on Monday afternoon.
“He was tieping and when he woke up he said he was robbed and soema blamed Jason, but he can’t even say what was stolen from him,” says Maria.
“Then the men looked for Jason and when they found him there in Ngculu Street, they stripped him naked and then they tied his feet, and his hands behind his head, with barbed wire.
“One of the neighbours told us that Jason cried to her, ‘Auntie, help my asseblief. Ek weet nie wat om te doen nie.’
“Hulle het hom poedelnakend in die silver kar geprop, and they drove off with him.”
She says hope of finding him alive is fading fast.
“It was so bitterly cold this week, and he had no clothes on, we are hoping but we have accepted that he’s probably not alive anymore,” she says sadly.
“My sister has been to all the mortuaries and she can hardly eat or speak or sleep from all the dead people she’s seen, but not one of them was Jason.”
She says they believe her nephew was innocent, but may never know the truth.
“There are so many robberies happening here in Bloekombos, it could have been anyone who did it.”
She says the police came to them once and then last night Elizabeth got a call from cops to say she must come to the station to open a case.
Kraaifontein SAPS media liaison officer Captain Hein Hendricks confirmed that Elizabeth has to open a missing persons and abduction case in order for police to investigate.