Girls warned against hitch-hiking after disturbing incidents

Free State Police Commissioner Baile Motswenyane. Picture: Supplied by SAPS

Free State Police Commissioner Baile Motswenyane. Picture: Supplied by SAPS

Published Nov 13, 2023

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After two unsettling cases of kidnapping and rape, Free State Police Commissioner Baile Motswenyane has issued a strong warning to women.

Police in Free State have revealed that in the first incident, a 19-year-old college student was accosted on Christoliet Street, Jan Cilliers Park, as she made her way to school.

An unknown man driving a grey Mazda 3 approached her, claiming his child was missing, and the kidnappers matched her description.

Allegedly demanding a R50 000 ransom, he convinced her to enter the vehicle, drove her near Masimong mine, where he raped her, and provided her with R50 to take a taxi home.

The suspect is described as slender, tall, light-skinned, with a missing front tooth and a chest scar. He wore a dark blue suit and spoke Sesotho.

In a separate incident on November 9, around 6.20pm, a girl walking home from Sylvania Spar in Jan Cilliers Park accepted a lift from a white Mahindra bakkie driven by a white male.

During the journey towards the Traffic Department, the driver assaulted her. Fortunately, she managed to escape when reaching her residence and reported the incident, leading to a rape case investigation.

“We urge girls to refrain from entering vehicles driven by strangers. If feeling threatened, scream for help to attract passers-by attention. Two kidnapping and rape cases are under investigation,” said Motswenyane.

The Star

anita.nkonki@inl.co.za