Kidnapped Durban businesswoman bound to 10m chain for 6 months

For 162 days the movements of Sandra Munsamy, CFO of Xmoor Transport, was restricted by a 10m chain during her hellish kidnapping.

Munsamy’s captors were arrested after she was held for almost six months while they waited for her family to come up with their $10m (R185m) ransom demand. 

This is according to Gen Gopal Govender, who was giving evidence in the kidnapping trial of Lucas John Ndlovu, Dumisani Radebe, Jose Tembe and Arthur Mondlane. They also face charges of extortion, robbery with aggravated circumstances and entering the country without a valid permit.

“The chain only allowed her to go to the toilet, shower and bed — anything else was out of reach for her,” said Govender, who is from the Hawks and who was part of the arresting team.

Giving evidence in the Durban high court on Monday, he said this was what a team, which included Hawks members from Gauteng, metro police, crime intelligence, a technical support unit and paramedics, found when they stormed a house at 45 Wattle Road in Witbank in Mpumalanga.

“Before we ventured into the house, approximately 100m away, we saw a man who spoke on the phone near the gate. The man, we would later discover, was Ndlovu. The house was highly barricaded,” said Govender.

He said the house also had electrical fencing. Once inside the yard, they had to break down a door to gain entry.

When they found the room in which Munsamy was locked, she was traumatised.

“It was clear Sandra was overwhelmed with fear. The room was like a prison. There was plywood on the windows. The room did not allow any drop of sunlight as there was also plywood on the windows,” said Govender.

Munsamy was examined by paramedics before being transported to hospital.

The policeman recounted how Munsamy was hijacked on the highway, metres away from their business premises, when she was cornered by a NP 200 bakkie and Mercedes-Benz C63.

“Tembe drove from Durban to Gauteng and the only stops he made was to fill up petrol and urinate, as he told me he was taking steroids. He was driving with Mondlane in the car,” said Govender.

He said they went to his house in Jackal Creek where they temporarily kept Munsamy.

Govender said Radebe was assigned to keeping her safe and Tembe assisted.

Three phones were confiscated from Tembe. The first revealed direct communication between Tembe and Munsamy's brother, Inderan, while the second phone was used to communicate with Radebe. The third phone was for personal use.

He said Tembe feared Mondlane for his involvement in a kidnapping syndicate and was known to be a person who could kill with impunity if the families of kidnapped victims didn't comply.

Govender told the court there was a previous attempt to kidnap Munsamy.

On that day Munsamy was with a man at a Mugg & Bean restaurant at a Durban shopping mall. He said as the pair was leaving the mall, a group of white men who were standing in the parking lot put the kidnappers off from pursuing their plan.

Govender said upon their arrest, Mondlane became emotional and pleaded not to be sent back to his home country where he was sought for other crimes.

“He was crying like a baby for assistance and that is why he was volunteering to give the police all the information,” said Govender.

He said Mondlane and Tembe would on numerous occasions drive to KZN on surveillance missions to observe Munsamy's father — who was considered as a target at one stage — while he sat at a bird sanctuary.

“During those observations it had become clear that he was elderly and sickly,” said Govender. He was then ruled out.

They also followed Munsamy's brother Inderan to work, church and malls and learnt he used different vehicles which included a Mercedes G-wagon and white unmarked bakkie.

“It was difficult to track him because he was a fast driver and this would pose a risk to them. It was then decided Sandra would be the person, but in making that decision they needed to get more information on her,” said Govender.

The case is continuing.