A man accused of being involved in a kidnapping case, has been ordered to pay R30 000 to the female victim.
The kidnapping case against Molefi Johannes Qosheka (45) was initially withdrawn.
On 7 November 2018, Charmaine Botha (46) was approached and kidnapped early in the morning from her place of work in Welkom. Her captors demanded that her husband, Johnny, hand over two gold bars as ransom. Johnny was the manager of the Harmony Gold mining company’s gold plant in Welkom.
One gold bar was handed over to the kidnappers with the consent of Harmony Gold, and Botha was released the same day.
Botha was released by her kidnappers after a hostage drama that lasted over 12 hours. A multi-disciplinary team comprising members of the Welkom Serious Organised Crime Investigation unit and relevant stakeholders cornered the accused and others, following a three-day tracing operation. The victim’s vehicle and a Nissan Tiida used to transport her to captivity, were recovered.
Since then, the police and private security companies have arrested ten men in connection with the kidnapping, with only half of the gold bar recovered.
Qosheka and five other men were not prosecuted on the condition that the four other alleged kidnappers would plead guilty, and pay Botha damages of R1.9 million.
According to an insider, the decision to enter into a plea agreement with the men was made because Botha was so traumatised by the events that it was uncertain whether she would be able to withstand the stress of a protracted trial.
The men had to pay Botha monthly. However, some of the men did not keep to the agreement and the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) decided to prosecute them.
The Magistrates’ Court in Welkom ordered Qosheka to pay R30 000 in damages to Botha by the end of July. He was not directly involved in the kidnapping, but melted parts of the gold bar on a farm.
On Wednesday, 12 July, Qosheka appeared in court on charges relating to kidnapping, extortion, possession of unwrought precious metal, and money laundering.
Three other kidnappers are to appear in court on 31 July for a trial date.
Brig. Xolani Matroos, acting head of the Free State Hawks, lauded the efforts of the team working on this case. He added that anyone who infringes on the rights of another by kidnapping and hoping to profit, will be arrested.
“We are pleased that the court has shown intolerance towards those involved in organised crime, targeting the vulnerable, and holding them hostage. Instead of acceding to your ransom demands, we will arrest you.”
