South African authorities are currently probing the case of Evans Katumba, a Zimbabwean businessman based in Durban, who remains missing despite a ransom payment of R1.5 million to his kidnappers.
Reports indicate that Katumba, who had been residing in South Africa for the past decade, was abducted by assailants armed with AK47 rifles at a nightclub he had recently acquired on March 24.
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As detailed by ZimLive, following Katumba’s disappearance, his captors initially demanded a ransom of R2.5 million. However, his family and acquaintances managed to gather R1.5 million, intending to drop it in Ballito, a coastal town near Durban, as per the kidnappers’ instructions.
Despite the ransom drop being executed, Katumba’s abductors did not uphold their promise to release him. This development has prompted a thorough investigation by South African law enforcement into the circumstances surrounding Katumba’s continued captivity.
“They demanded that one person should bring the money, and that police should not be involved. The money was dropped at an open field on the outskirts of Ballito, about 45 minutes from Durban.
“The kidnappers said they would release him after an hour, but that was the last communication they made,” a friend said.
SA Police and crack unit, The Hawks, are now reportedly investigating the matter.
Evans Katumba, previously a fuel station worker who transitioned to become a fuel supplier, was allegedly the victim of an attempted hijacking in December. His involvement in acquiring Yugo, the nightclub from where he was later abducted, is believed to have attracted the attention of questionable individuals in Durban.
Yugo was one of the clubs where the late rapper AKA was scheduled to perform before his tragic death last year.
“A week after he bought Yugo, there was an attempt to hijack him while driving his G63. He was stopped by a police car and an officer came to talk to him, before returning to the police car purportedly to check something.
“While Vardy waited for the officer to come back, suddenly there were these random people trying to open the doors and he sped away,” a friend told ZimLive.
“He went to the United Kingdom and came back in early March to begin rebranding his club. Around the same time he also bought a Ferrari and an Amarok.
“He kept on receiving phone calls from people saying he must hire them as security and some saying he is a foreigner and can’t own a club in Durban. You have all these people from the underworld wanting a piece of it, some saying can we work with you, can we partner with you or can we do this or that.
“He was adamant that he would do everything his own way and that’s what he did. Some of us got concerned and we told him that his profile now requires that he has security at all times, but he decided against it.”
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