Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

WORLD NEWS

Kidnapped Zimbabwean Businessman Evans Katumba Remains Missing Despite R1.5M Ransom

Kidnapped Zimbabwean Businessman Evans Katumba Remains Missing Despite R1.5M Ransom

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.

ALSO READ: Zimbabwean Builder Dupes Woman R25 000 in SA

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.

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

“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.

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

“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.”

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Catch More Updates Below

LOCAL NEWS

South African jailed 30 years for kidnapping Zimbabwean in Uganda Joachim Ugochukwu Onyeako, a South African citizen, has received a 30-year prison sentence for...

LOCAL NEWS

Zimbabwean Builder Dupes Woman R25 000 in SA A woman residing in Pelikan Park, Cape Town, has come forward to share her ordeal involving...

WORLD NEWS

Financial Crisis Looms for Pastor Alph Lukau Over R24 Million Tax Debt Pastor Alph Lukau, known for his controversial claims of being able to...

LOCAL NEWS

Harare | Anisha Machona, a 4-YEAR-OLD toddler who vanished for four days after being kidnapped, has been discovered in a happy conclusion to a...

LOCAL NEWS

A nine-year-old girl in Bulawayo suffered a fractured arm, leg, and swollen face after jumping out of a speeding vehicle to escape her kidnapper....

LOCAL NEWS

This was after a video clip of a man who appears to be a Zimbabwean sitting behind the wheel of a marked police vehicle...

Advertisement