Johannesburg - A police officer who decided to catch a lift with an unknown man in order to get home was rendered unconscious by her assailants, who robbed her before throwing her in bushes.
When Constable Baswabile Mildred Silowe, 26, of the Bushbuckridge police station, came to, her hands and feet were tied and her belongings had been taken.
Mpumalanga police spokesperson Brigadier Leonard Hlathi said Silowe's sister had reported her missing on Sunday when no one could contact her.
Silowe had left her home in Boiketlo Village, Casteel, on Sunday afternoon, using public transport to travel to Lydenburg, where she lives and works, Hlathi said.
"Upon arriving at Bushbuckridge Shopping Complex, where she was to catch a second taxi to Lydenburg, she was offered a lift by an unknown man and immediately informed her sister.
"Moments later, her sister called to check up on her several times, but failed to reach her. She also called Constable Silowe's roommate, who confirmed that she had not arrived.
"The sister then grew worried after failed attempts to trace her and reported the matter to the police, who immediately launched a search," he said.
On Monday evening, Hlathi said, Silowe was found in Calcutta, which is over 100 kilometres away from her destination, Lydenburg.
"She told police that she recalls being covered with a cloth on her face by one of the men in the car that had offered her a lift back to Lydenburg, where she became unconscious thereafter.
"She also relayed that she later regained consciousness only to find she had been ditched in the bushes with her hands and feet tied with ropes and had been robbed of all her belongings.
"She then managed to roll to a road nearby, where she was spotted by a passing ambulance. The police were summoned immediately and the victim was then taken to hospital for medical treatment and has since been discharged," Hlathi said.
Mpumalanga police commissioner Lieutenant-General Mondli Zuma said she was relieved Silowe has been found alive and has ordered an investigation into the matter.
Anyone with information that may assist the police with their investigation is requested to contact Detective Warrant Officer Nicol Setwane at 072 906 8621, Hlathi said.