The mother of the six-year-old daughter of EFF national spokesperson Sinawo Thambo is still in shock and nursing injuries to her hands, legs and head after she jumped out of a speeding car linked to the Uber e-hailing service.
She described the incident in Pretoria on Monday night as an attempted kidnapping, hence her drastic decision to jump out of the moving car.
Speaking to Sowetan on Tuesday, Thambo said the 26-year-old woman, whose identity he did not want to reveal for safety reasons, was on her way to Bosman railway station in central Pretoria where she was meant to take a bus to Mpumalanga.
She was in the company of two friends.
“Upon arriving there [at the station] after the trip was marked completed, her friends got off with her belongings and luggage. Before she could exit the car, the driver decided to drive off while she was still inside.
“When she attempted to inform him that she is still in the car, the individual looked back at her and continued speeding off and driving into oncoming traffic. She realised that this is a possible kidnapping.
“She jumped off this speeding and moving car to avoid a possible tragedy, especially considering what happened to Hillary Gardee.
“The most unfortunate thing is that police were not of any assistance. When she went to a satellite police cop shop at the Bosman station, they did not have stationery, equipment and could not assist at all. We had a difficult time at Pretoria Central police station because they were asking her for a J88 form [which she did not have at the time] and she could not open a case,” said Thambo.
The J88 form is a legal document that must be completed by a medical practitioner to record injuries suffered by a complainant during a crime.
He said a case was finally opened at Pretoria Central on Tuesday and the victim will report the matter to Uber afterwards.
Gauteng police spokesperson Lt-Col Mavela Masondo said a case of assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm was opened.
“No arrests have been made yet and the investigation is under way,” said Masondo.
Masondo said internal investigations will be conducted to establish why the case was not opened initially at both police stations.
“If it is found that there were wrongdoings from the police then departmental steps will be taken against that member or members,” he said.
Tambo said the woman was admitted at Louis Pasteur Hospital, also in central Pretoria on Monday, where she received treatment and was later discharged.
Uber spokesperson Mpho Sebelebele said they take the safety of clients very seriously and this incident is concerning.
“Incidents such as attempted kidnapping are not common on the app, and we encourage users to report such incidents via our app to ensure that the matter receives the attention it requires timeously. We work with law enforcement through our law enforcement relations team (LERT) who provide the necessary information to the police for their investigation. We appeal to the rider to report the incident so investigations can commence,” Sebelebele said.
Tambo said his partner is still shaken by the incident.
“She is thankful she could avoid possibly the worst tragedy. She was brave enough to make the decision to jump out of the [speeding] car... we do not know the intention of the individual who tried to kidnap her,” he said.
On April 29 Hillary Gardee – the 28-year-old daughter of the former secretary-general of the EFF, Godrich Gardee – went missing during a shopping outing in Mbombela, Mpumalanga. Her body was found on May 3 with a gunshot wound to the head.
Three men – Phillimon Lukhele, 47, Sipho Mkhatshwa, 39, and Albert Gama, 52 – were arrested and abandoned their bail application in the Mbombela magistrate's court on Monday.
The case will resume on June 9.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.