‘I was in the boot for five to six hours’: Pirates star Vincent Pule opens up on kidnapping ordeal

Orlando Pirates midfielder Vincent Pule is lucky to be alive and tell the tale after being kidnapped by criminals and kept in the boot of a car until he was released about five hours later. 

Speaking on the SuperSport TV miniseries on Pirates' players, Bucs Camp2, Pule said he was hijacked and kidnapped and the criminals drove around with him stuffed in the boot. He said he was worried about the safety of his partner and child. 

“I went to the petrol station to buy bread. After getting bread and an energy drink I went to the car and when I arrived at the car I could feel there was someone behind me,” said Pule, who did not elaborate on whether anything was stolen from him. 

“After opening the door, someone grabbed me and told me to come with him and when they took me I asked them to leave my partner and child alone. They took me and put me in their car and they drove around with me for the whole night.

“They wanted my bank PIN numbers. They left my family at the garage and while everything was happening I was asking myself where [they were] and what happened to them.” 

Pule said the kidnappers dropped him off in Soweto after 1am and he finally found his way home to be reunited with his family. 

“Initially I was sitting in the back seat but they moved me to the boot. I was in the boot for about five to six hours and they left me in the woods in Soweto at about 1am.

“I don’t know anyone in Soweto, but I had to make a plan to find my way back home. The other thing that helped me was that I was not too frightened, I didn't think I was going to make it back home if I was frightened.

“I ran and after a while started seeing cars and went in the direction of the cars until I found a petrol station. Luckily an Uber driver arrived and I asked him to take me home, which he did.

“Most of the time I was thinking about my madam and the child because I didn’t know if they left them at the garage or took them.” 

Pule did not specify exactly when the incident occurred, but indicated it was during his playing time at Pirates.

The 31-year-old winger joined Bucs from Bidvest Wits in July 2018.