Man in court after US couple are ‘kidnapped, robbed’ on way to Kruger

A 36-year-old man appeared in an Mpumalanga court on Tuesday in connection with the alleged kidnapping and robbery of an American couple just outside Nelspruit.

The incident happened last Thursday in Kanyamazane when the couple was heading to the Kruger National Park.

Mpumalanga police spokesperson Col Donald Mdhluli said: “The two tourists, a 47-year-old male and 39-year-old female, were driving on the R536 in the Calcutta area when they were stopped by a VW Golf with a blue light. The victims were then held at gunpoint by two armed suspects who kidnapped them and drove them to a spot where they were robbed of their personal items. The suspects fled with the stolen items.

“The victims were assisted to reach the Masoyi police station where a case was opened. The investigation immediately commenced. Valuable information through technology was provided by the FBI regarding the whereabouts of some of the stolen property. 

“An operation was planned and executed. The team was led to a house in Kanyamazane and found the suspect there. A search was then conducted and several items believed to have been stolen during the robbery were discovered.”

The items recovered include two laptops, two iPads, an iPhone smart wrist watch, two sets of binoculars, a 16-channels jammer and a blue dash light. A VW polo fitted with a false number plate was also found. 

The suspect, whose name cannot be revealed at this stage due to the “delicacy of the investigation”, was arrested and charged with possession of suspected stolen property.

“The suspect appeared in the Kanyamazane magistrate's court on Tuesday. The matter was postponed to September 19 for further investigation,” police said.

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