ELSIES RIVER
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Woensdag 20 Junie 2012
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) ‘Valuable SAPS resources wasted’
Kidnap hoax trauma
The intersection at 35th Avenue and Owen Road is a scene of destruction as a group of residents continue to burn rubble during service delivery and housing protests in Malawi Camp and Freedom Farm informal settlements. Photo: Gary van Dyk
GARY VAN DYK
A local ward councillor had more than protesting residents of informal settlements to worry about on Monday. While protesters caused havoc with traffic and damage to traffic lights and roads in the areas around Malawi Camp and Freedom Farm, local councillor Asa Abrahams of Ward 24, had to contend with what seemed to be a hostage drama that threatened the welfare of a worker in one of her projects in one of the informal settlements.
It has since been uncovered as a hoax, but for most of Monday it had the councillor worried about the welfare of the worker. Abrahams said that the drama started unfolding on Monday morning when she received a call from the person who she knew and she was told that members of the community had taken her hostage. “My first concern when I heard this was for her six-month-old baby,” said Abrahams. “I knew that the child was still small and the mother must be worried about the safety of her child. “The reason for this ‘kidnapping’
was because some of the protesters had been arrested for vandalism during the protests that were taking place. “I was told that the people who had been arrested were supposed to be released, and given a deadline to do this or she would be harmed.” Abrahams pointed out that she explained that she had nothing to do with these arrests and that she could not tell the police what to do. “During this conversation I also tried to establish where she was being kept, but could get no response in this regard which I found strange.
“My first concern was for the safety of this person and I had no reason to doubt her statements,” she said. Later on she also received an SMS that stated that “the deadline is over, what is plan B?”, which prompted her to take the threat more seriously and the matter was reported to the police. Captain Joe Wilson, communications officer of the Delft SAPS, confirmed that the charge was laid but investigations revealed that the hostage situation was actually a hoax. “We understand the concerns of
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the councillor and the trauma that she went through while she still thought that there was a threat, and we also had to react quickly to find out the proper situation. “The caller was found safely in her home, but we are still taking action with further investigation because valuable police resources were wasted during this operation,” he said. While Abrahams was relieved when the safety of the caller was established she was still disappointed that somebody could do something like this for ulterior motives. . To page 2.
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