I was followed for 12 months before being kidnapped: Maggie Skosana

Nkangala District Municipality Manager Maggie Skosana says she has been informed that she was being followed for a period of about 12 months before she was kidnapped.

Skosana and her driver, Gugu Mtsweni were kidnapped just before they could enter the municipality gate a few weeks ago. They were kidnapped by people who were wearing police uniforms and driving a vehicle fitted with blue lights.

Nkangala District Municipal Manager gives more details about her kidnapping:

“When I see men with blue uniform, I will not easily trust that indeed they are. I even asked myself that next time I’m stopped on the road by traffic officers will I be able to stop. I think that is one of the syndicates that impersonate themselves as law enforcement agencies,” she says.

She adds that on the day in question, they were approached by people impersonating police officers and they claimed that she is under arrest. She alleges that one of the armed kidnappers jumped into their vehicle and forced her driver to drive away. She says after driving for a short distance, one of the suspects then decided to drive their vehicle under a pretense that they were going to her home for a raid.

Skosana elaborates, “Instead, we did not go to my house but we drove to the bush where they stopped both cars. And then I was dragged out of my car to their car. And then we drove again to where they dropped my car. The guy who was driving my car came and put balaclavas on us and then instructed us to sleep on their laps. We went to the first house where we were kept in the car for the whole day. Pin codes of my cards were demanded.”

Released after 7 days

Apparently, they were later taken to another house where they were kept before they were released after seven days.

Skosana says the reason behind their kidnapping is not yet known.

“To answer the first question, if I knew that people were following me?  No, I did not know that I was followed but I was told that I was followed for a period of 12 months. Am I still working with the police? Yes, indeed we are working with the police to get into the bottom of this case.  Are we happy with the investigations? Of course not. We believe that more could have been done to try and get to the bottom of the case. Hence the sourcing of private investigators was brought in by the family,” adds Skosana.

Apparently, the municipality is working towards beefing up her security. However, she has so far been provided with security guards by her family.

Family member Peter Skhosana says they are relieved that their sister Maggie Skosana and her driver Gugu Mtsweni have been found after a week of allegedly being kidnapped. #sabcnews pic.twitter.com/2x168vkPoh

— #LordOfTheMedia (@samkelemaseko) October 27, 2022