Mysterious kidnapping laid bare

KLOOF family Picture: DOCTOR NGCOBO

KLOOF family Picture: DOCTOR NGCOBO

Published Jul 28, 2013

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The family of abducted Kloof businessman Bruce Galloway yesterday laid bare the details surrounding his mysterious kidnapping in a move to dispel widespread rumours that his disappearance was a ruse.

Speaking to the media for the first time, his wife of 35 years Les Galloway rubbished claims that the story was fabricated.

“He is an amazing man and he is still processing everything he went through. I have been married for 35 happy years and that he would concoct this is garbage. We certainly don’t believe anything else and we are confident in his story after having spoken to him,” she said.

Galloway, former chairman of the Sugarcane Growers’ Association, was abducted in the driveway of his Intengu Road home early on Tuesday morning.

His car and valuables, save for money which he insists had been removed from his wallet, were found near his driveway.

Investigators who descended on the scene found his cellphone and glasses nearby, possible indications of a struggle.

During his two-day ordeal, which he says started when the abductors pushed him off the edge of Kloof Gorge after he refused to divulge his ATM pin numbers, his family faced criticism from commentators on social media platforms who questioned the circumstances surrounding his disappearance.

He was rescued after two youths visiting a viewpoint heard his cries for help. He was found less than 5km from his house.

It is understood that the wealthy businessman owns several Spar and Build-It stores in the Eastern Cape.

He was allegedly abducted between 3am and 4am on Tues- day and rescued on Thursday afternoon.

Speaking from their upmarket Kloof home yesterday, Galloway and her son Wayne, daughter Lauren and daughter-in-law Kim spoke of their relief that Bruce was safe and recovering in hospital.

Wayne said the story seemed “bizarre” because of the many “coincidences”.

But he said his father’s account of his ordeal made sense.

“We had the benefit of speaking to him and are confident once his statement (to the police) is released, coupled with the investigating officers’ facets, his sceptics will go quiet. It’s crazy how he describes what he went through,” he said.

It remains unclear when Galloway will be released from hospital as he has to undergo surgery for broken vertebrae, a punctured lung and broken ribs.

Recalling the events that led to him being pushed over the edge of the gorge, Wayne said his father was in the “wrong place at the wrong time” and was the victim of a botched hijacking.

He said his father, leaving early for a business meeting in Umtata, stumbled upon criminals intent on breaking into homes.

“We have a long driveway with an automatic gate at the end. He was waiting for the gates to close before he drove off. He caught these guys trying to hit other homes off-guard and they saw an opportunity to take him. He tossed his car keys into the grass so they wouldn’t get them. They made him walk down the road to a taxi where there were at least three guys and one had a gun.”

Wayne said after binding Bruce’s hands and feet with cable ties they drove to the Kloof Gorge.

“Two guys, including the driver, stayed in the taxi and one guy walked him to the edge of the cliff and forced him over.”

Picking up the story, his wife Les said a tree saved his life.

“Bruce said he landed on a steep incline and woke up when it was light. He didn’t try to move on the first day but called for help. The cable ties on his hands broke when he fell, but the ones on his feet remained intact. He was able to climb up a bit, but because of his injuries could not climb further.”

They praised the young men who found Galloway, Keegan Perry and Bradley Yeo, for their heroic efforts.

“It was amazing to hear them say, ‘We found your husband, he is okay.’ I couldn’t believe it. I gave the phone to Wayne because I was unable to speak. Our house was full of people. We all jumped in our cars and rushed there as fast as possible,” said Les.

Despite the turmoil of this week, Wayne said his family was trying to be positive.

“We are not out for revenge. A case has been opened and police are investigating. We are just so relieved and happy to have him back,” he said.

Rescuetech operations manager Mark Easton, whose team regularly conducts rescues at the Kloof Gorge, said it was miraculous that Galloway had survived.

“Had he been thrown off the ledge a little to the left or to the right, he would not have been so lucky. Often we conduct body recoveries in that area because the falls are fatal.

“He was lucky because even though he fell between 20m and 30m, it was down a slope and the drop was not sheer. A drop from that height without falling on to an incline would have been fatal,” he said.

Police detective Chippy van den Heever said Galloway’s discovery would not hinder the progress of the investigation.

He confirmed a statement had yet to be taken from Galloway as he was convalescing in hospital.

“I am happy that he was found. The next step is to conduct a detailed interview as soon as he is well enough to see us. As an experienced detective, I do not doubt his account of the events and in my opinion this is a home invasion gone awry.”

Private investigator Brad Nathanson, who had been retained by Galloway’s family in the wake of his disappearance, said he would continue to probe the businessman’s abduction. “I will continue to investigate every avenue of this case to ensure the people responsible are brought to book,” he said.

Enforce investigations head Nico Potgieter, whose crack team had been tasked by the Spar Group to investigate the kidnapping, confirmed that they too would continue to scrutinise Galloway’s two-day disappearance.

“We examined leads and footage from his neighbours. This doesn’t change the fact that the men who did this to him remain at large,” he said.

Perry, speaking on behalf of himself and Yeo, said: “We did what any good person would – we are not heroes.”

They have been offered the R50 000 reward by Spar, but say it is not about the money.

“We weren’t even thinking about that (reward). You can’t put a price on a human life and we are just glad to hear that Bruce is doing well.

“The true hero is Bruce Galloway, who endured two days without his family in a freezing cold valley.

“We sat a distance away on the ledge, talking. After five minutes, we heard someone say ‘can you hear me?’ We looked across the gorge, thinking someone was trying to talk to us from across. We then heard a call for help.

“We knew that once help was on the way we could contact his family. Bruce asked us to call his wife and he carefully called out the numbers. It was one of the most surreal feelings in the world, especially when all these cars arrived and people started jumping out and rushing to the ledge.

“Bruce’s son shook my hand and then gave me a hug. It was very emotional for the family. It has also been emotionally exhausting for us,” he said. - Sunday Tribune

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