[imagesource: family of Alize van der Merwe]

Kidnappers have wrangled a ransom demand for the safe return of a 39-year-old Cape Town woman, who was abducted while travelling solo through the Eastern Cape.

On Friday afternoon, 20 September 2024, while making her way on the N2 highway from East London to the Umngazi Hotel & Spa in Port St Johns on the Wild Coast, Alize van der Merwe was kidnapped.

Hawks spokesperson Ndiphiwe Mhlakuvana said it seemed the victim was driving towards the resort in a Toyota Fortuner when unknown suspects attacked her. “Her vehicle was reportedly found abandoned not far from the resort,” Mhlakuvana said.

Mhlakuvana then confirmed that a ransom demand was made, but did not provide further details, per News24:

“Later on, the reports indicated that the family received phone calls from the suspects demanding a ransom. The victim has not yet been found at the moment. The Hawks are investigating a kidnapping case, and the police are working around the clock to rescue the victim unharmed. The investigation is still ongoing.”

Van der Merwe last contacted her family at around 11:30AM on Friday, saying she planned to stop at Shell Ultra City in Mthatha. A few hours later, at around 3:13PM, her family received a call informing them of her kidnapping, with her Toyota Fortuner (Registration LX73KLGP) later found abandoned between Dumasi and the Umngazi resort.

Image: Mike Bolhuis

Major General Mboiki Obed Ngwenya, the provincial head of the Hawks, urged anyone with information to report it to their nearest police station or call the Crime Stop number 08600 10111.

Now, with this kidnapping case on top of the Carte Blanche segment about the rising crime level in the region, the theory relayed to me by one of the Chintsa resort owners takes on an alarming tone; that this might all be a part of an elaborate government tactic to destabilise the Eastern Cape’s tourism so that it would be easier to mine the area for profit.

This is a rumour so far, but hey, at this stage, it’s hard to put it past our money-mongering government.

Per Daily Maverick, Div de Villiers, spokesperson for an Eastern Cape environmental public interest group, Green Ripple, and chairperson of the Wild Coast Development Forum, said they are deeply concerned about the kidnappings and extortion on the Wild Coast and the severe repercussions these were having on the economy and the lives of people in the province who rely on tourism for their livelihoods.

“The impact is starting to be felt in the wider Eastern Cape with holidays being cancelled. The previous kidnapping at the Pont, Great Kei River Mouth, earlier this month led to people questioning whether they should come to the Wild Coast or head to other provinces,” he said.

In that incident, three people were abducted from a local restaurant in a ransom scheme. However, Mhlakuvana stated that the victim’s family declined to share further details. So far, the Hawks have not made any arrests in connection with the crime.

“The MECs and ministers of branches of government must come out strongly against these heinous acts, and pit all the expertise they can muster into busting ruthless syndicates whose attacks are becoming ever more prevalent and brazen,” De Villiers added.

Eastern Cape Parks and Tourism also expressed its deep concern about “escalating incidents of criminality against tourists”. They warned that these incidents could have a profound and damaging impact on tourism, threatening the livelihoods of those who rely on it in the province, while also undermining the provincial economy as a whole.

Indeed, that would be all too convenient for corrupt key players to swoop in and raze the land for mining profits. With a crippled economy and less eyes on the area, they’ll be able to do anything they want.

[source:news24&dailymaverick]