EX-CONVICT KIDNAPS WITNESS’S DAUGHTER

LOMAHASHA – *Lizzy regrets the day she stood inside the witness box in 2014, to testify against a suspect who was facing a litany of charges.

She says this was the day which marked the beginning of a series of incidents that have troubled her family and caused her to live in perpetual fear.
On that day, Lizzy, who is employed by the Swazi National Court, testified against a suspect she had seen pinning down a young girl while threatening to slit her throat with a knife.

Her testimony, together with the testimonies of other witnesses, was enough for the court to convict the suspect on a number of charges.
However, early this year, the former convict returned to Lomahasha after reportedly serving time in prison. He returned to the community still bitter and apparently angry at the people who had testified against him, more especially Lizzy.

One day Lizzy was at work when the former convict ambushed one of her daughters, who is aged 16 years.
The girl, who was doing Form II in one of the high schools around Lomahasha, was ambushed while returning from a local shop.
“He (ex-convict) followed my daughter as she was walking to the shop and on her way back he grabbed her. Fortunately, some witnesses saw him as he went away with my daughter,” Lizzy said.

The girl disappeared for a couple of weeks and returned just before the Easter weekend, according to Lizzy.
She was suffering from malaria when she returned home, Lizzy revealed.
The girl told her parents about all the horrible things she had endured while under the clutches of the ex-convict and his friends.

Walking

“She told us that from Lomahasha, they crossed into Mozambique before walking for a long distance to South Africa,” Lizzy stated. After her daughter had returned home, Lizzy was happy that she was back home even though she had endured traumatising experiences like sexual abuse. However, her joy would be short-lived as the ex-convict struck again on May 7, while Lizzy was away at work and her husband was at his workplace in South Africa. This time, the ex-convict allegedly stormed the homestead in broad day light and grabbed the same girl, while armed with a bush knife.

“He told the other children to tell me that he has kidnapped my daughter. He was seen dragging my daughter out of the homestead while threatening to kill her if she refused to go with him,” Lizzy narrated. She was shattered when she returned home to the news that her daughter had been kidnapped for the second time in less than two months. “What boggles my mind is that, there were many people who testified against him during the trial but he is not revenging against them. Why is he targeting only me?” Lizzy wondered.

After her daughter was kidnapped on May 7, Lizzy said the girl was trafficked into neighbouring South Africa.
She was away from home for about four weeks, only to be found this past week. She was discovered in an unfinished house, near the homestead of a member of the Eswatini army.

“An off-duty soldier discovered the girl inside the house together with two men. One of the men is believed to be the ex-convict. Unfortunately, the men managed to escape when the soldier confronted them, leaving behind the girl,” said Lizzy.

Father

The father of the girl was not found at home when this reporter visited the family on Saturday.
However, in a previous interview, while the girl was still missing, he told this reporter that he was devastated by the kidnapping. He further expressed disappointment in the apparent failure of the police to apprehend the ex-convict, whom he said was terrorising his family.

“I don’t know how he was released from prison because he was facing many charges when he was arrested in 2014,” the father of the girl said.
Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Superintendent Phindile Vilakati, said the girl was currently under police protection.
“The suspect is still at large, but police won’t give up until he is apprehended. It is true that he is an ex-convict. He had been arrested for many cases, including housebreaking and theft,” Vilakati stated.

Meanwhile, some community members said the kidnapping of the teenage girl was indicative of the rising crime levels in the area.
A local businessman suggested that security needed to be tightened in the area because Lomahasha lies along the country’s borders with Mozambique and South Africa.

The businessman said it was worrying that kidnappers could attack a family twice without the police intercepting them.
“The same suspect also broke into my business and stole liquor. My manager testified against him in court and I’ve heard rumours that he has been making threats against me,” said the businessman.
*not her real name to protect minor

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