By Anita Dangazele
- The special needs teacher from Gqeberha was reunited with her family after ransom was reportedly paid.
- CCTV shows three men kidnapping her in broad daylight at Happydale Special School.
A Gqeberha special needs teacher who was kidnapped at her school has been safely returned to her family.
The Hawks confirmed on Wednesday night that the 45-year-old woman is back home.
She was kidnapped on Monday just after arriving at Happydale Special School in Algoa Park.
Hawks spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Avele Fumba said the woman was returned safely because of the pressure put on the suspects by the team handling the case.
“Due to sufficient pressure exerted by the multidisciplinary team, including the task team of the Hawks, we can confirm that the victim was safely reunited with her family last night,” said Fumba.
The teacher was pulled from her Toyota Fortuner by three men who had been following her in a white Toyota Corolla.
The incident, which happened in broad daylight, was caught on CCTV.
The video shows her parking at the school before the kidnappers’ car pulls in behind her.
Seconds later, three men jump out, grab her and shove her into the back of their car before speeding off.
Police spokesperson Captain Andre Beetge confirmed that a ransom demand was made.
Although officials haven’t confirmed the amount, it is believed that the ransom was paid.
Fumba said: “The matter remains under investigation and we urge anyone with information that could help to accelerate our investigation to come forward.”
In 2015, another Gqeberha teacher, Jayde Panayiotou, was kidnapped and later found dead.
Pictured above: A screenshot of the video footage showing how the kidnapping took place.
Image source: Heinrich Edgar Davis
