Kidnapped municipal manager Maggie Skosana and driver found in Diepsloot

27 October 2022 - 07:11
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Nkangala district municipal manager Maggie Skosana and her driver Gugu Mtsweni were allegedly kidnapped by men impersonating police officers.
Nkangala district municipal manager Maggie Skosana and her driver Gugu Mtsweni were allegedly kidnapped by men impersonating police officers.
Image: Supplied

Nkangala district municipal manager Margaret “Maggie” Skosana and her driver Gugu Mtsweni have been found in Diepsloot, Johannesburg, after being kidnapped last week.

This was confirmed by the office of Mpumalanga premier Refilwe Mstweni-Tsipane.

Police spokesperson Col Donald Mdhluli said they were found just before midnight on Wednesday.

They had allegedly been dumped by their assailants in the bushes near the N14 road in Diepsloot, he said.

Mtsweni was “tied with some ropes but she somehow managed to manoeuvre to the road”.

“A taxi driver saw her as she was looking for help. She related the story to the taxi driver who immediately informed the police. The police then went with them to the bushes where the municipal manager was found.”

After they reported to the Diepsloot police station, the two were taken to hospital for a check-up and then later reunited with their families in the early hours of Thursday morning.

Good morning friends and family. Good news🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳 We are happy to announce that Maggie Skosana and her PA were found...

Posted by Nomusa Hlatshwayo on Wednesday, October 26, 2022

The suspects are still at large, Mdhluli said.

Skosana and Mtsweni, who were kidnapped in Middelburg at the Nkangala municipality’s gate, had been missing since last Thursday morning. Her car was found abandoned later the same day, with her wheelchair and handbag inside, at a nearby mine. 

Mdhluli said Mpumalanga police commissioner Lt-Gen Semakaleng Daphney Manamela had immediately assembled specialist resources to set up an investigation team to ensure the two victims were brought back safe and alive.

“The team worked around the clock, spending sleepless nights since the news of the kidnapping broke. Members of the police in Mpumalanga and members of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation [the Hawks] in Gauteng assisted in the probe,” he said.

Manamela on Thursday expressed her gratitude to the police officers on the case as well as the taxi driver, “who acted as a Good Samaritan upon seeing the municipal manager's driver calling for help on the road”.

Mstweni-Tsipane has called on the public to give the two space to reconnect with their families.

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