BLOEMFONTEIN: An apparent case of false kidnapping by a Bloemfontein woman who had framed her former boyfriend, is lingering in the corridors of the Bloemfontein criminal justice system. The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) is reportedly considering reviewing the hoax kidnapping the 27-year-old woman reported.
The woman has seemingly gotten off scot-free, despite evidence of her staging her own bizarre kidnapping during June 2023, framing Tankiso Thoabala. She was never charged with perjury, opening a false kidnapping case, or incriminating Thoabala.
Prima facie evidence however revealed that he could not be linked to kidnapping.
Thoabala says what is more shocking to him, is that two years on the law still has not taken its course.
He explains that upon following up on the progress of the case, he discovered that the case docket had been closed for a while – and that his alleged victim of kidnapping had gone free, without any punishment.
“I was only informed of the arrest and court appearance,” he says, referring to a message he received from the Park Road police, which stated that the suspect had been arrested and charged, and that their first appearance in court would be on 3 July 2023.
Two police officers were assigned to investigation of the case, with one of them apparently deciding to close the case docket in February last year without submitting it to the NPA for further investigation.
Thoabala has expressed disbelief with the criminal justice system’s failure to apply the law, despite sufficient evidence of the woman staging her own kidnapping and framing him for such a serious crime.
“The reason I am speaking out is because I want my name cleared of this crime – deemed a serious crime by the state – and maintain my innocence. Among the friends of the woman, I remain a criminal and kidnapper,” says Thoabala.
He confirms he was interrogated about the alleged kidnapping.
At the height of the incident in June 2023, a female acquaintance of the “victim” circulated a post on Facebook, claiming she had been missing for two weeks. This acquaintance further appealed to the public for help in locating the missing friend.
The Facebook friend had attached two photos of her missing friend. The message read: “Guys, please help me find this friend of mine. She has been missing for 2 weeks. She is not available nkx, even her phone is off.”
However, there is no evidence the woman was ever reported to any police station as a missing person during the period in question. The woman, who works for an established retailer in Bloemfontein, allegedly came up with the false kidnapping case to avoid dismissal after she had been asked by her employer to explain her whereabouts during the period in question, in 2023.
