Speculation is rife around the motive for the kidnapping of Polokwane’s Moti brothers , after they were safely reunited with their family last night. The nation breathed a sigh of relief on Thursday, waking up to news that the Moti brothers were alive and well.
Investigations are now underway to trace the seven armed men thought to have abducted Zidan, Zayyad, Alaan, and Zia, aged seven, 11, 13 and 15, while en route to school three weeks ago. South Africans flooded social media with support and prayers for the young siblings, taken from their scholar transport and shoved into the kidnappers’ Mercedes Benz at around 7am on Wednesday, October 20.
Field experts predicted that a hefty ransom would be demanded from the family, well known in the business industry. However the kidnappers allegedly made no contact with the family. National police spokesperson Brigdier Vishnu Naidoo confirms that the children were dropped off along the side of the road, unharmed.
“Last night the police in Vuwani received a call from a local resident saying that the children arrived at their house saying they were dropped off on a nearby road. Police arranged a doctor who confirmed that the children are in good health before they were handed over to their parents. The children also appeared to be in high spirits during the reunion with their parents. All information will be treated with strictest confidence and callers may remain anonymous,’’ says Brigadier Vish Naidoo.
In a statement circulating on social media- ‘undersigned’ by the children’s parents, Naazim and Shakira- gratitude was expressed for the support shown by South Africa:
“We wish to express our sincere gratitude to South African Police Services, our political parties, the media, all the social media influencers and everyone who prayed for the safety of our children. We are thankful that they were set free and when we received a phone call to fetch the children we rushed to the scene full of hope. All of South Africa ?? supported us and we want to thank one and all for their support and kind prayers. We are looking forward to healing as a family and will appreciate some privacy for a while. We will talk to the media within a few days.”
The boys are yet to be officially interviewed and SAPS psychologists will be assisting with that later today. The kidnapping investigation remains ongoing.
Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stop number 086 00 10111 or via MySAPSApp to bring the perpetrators to book.
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