Millions of rands dusted with fluorescent powder that is invisible to the naked eye, a traumatized business owner who made distinctive markings inside the homes where he was held captive, and crucial clues found in a video that was sent as proof of life.
This forms part of a relentless and meticulous investigation by the anti-kidnapping team of the Hawks in the Eastern Cape, into a spate of kidnappings in Nelson Mandela Bay.
During the bail application of one of the suspects believed to be a key figure in the kidnappings, police said his arrest has likely led to the dismantling of the syndicate behind the ring of kidnappings for the extortion of ransom monies.
Kidnappings, which has been rife in the city, have led to traumatized families having to cough up more than R3 million in ransom monies since the beginning of the year.
And while many victims have managed to make it home alive, they are still battling to come to terms with the trauma.
The State believes that Nyamezeli Tete, 59, currently applying for bail in the Gqeberha Magistrates Court is at the centre of it all.
A seasoned Hawks investigator, Lieutenant Colonel Rhynardt Swanepoel, tasked with overseeing the anti-kidnapping task team took to the stand on Monday to oppose Tete’s release on bail.
Tete was arrested near Fort Beaufort on 9 June.
He is out on parole on a murder charge and has already been charged with the March kidnapping of Sonam Gajjar and the April kidnapping of Running Chen.
A third charge, believed to be the kidnapping of Chen’s mother in February will soon be placed on the court roll.
While in the dock, Swanepoel told the court exactly how Hawks detectives pieced together leads which eventually led to Tete being charged.
Swanepoel told the court that Tete have been charged in connection with the Chen and Gajjar kidnappings.
In both cases the same modus operandi was used, that being kidnapping for ransom/extortion.
Swanepoel testified against Tete’s release on bail, but he also outlined how the accused is linked to the other cases.
The kidnapping of Running Chen and his mother:
Chen was busy at his business premises, R&R Windscreens in North End on 5 April when four black males arrived and forced him into a vehicle and drove off.
He was held captive.
Not long after, Chen’s kidnappers made contact with his mother and demanded a ransom in the amount of R5 million.
This amount was eventually significantly lowered and he was released after R491 000 was paid by his family.
In February, Chen’s mother was kidnapped under similar circumstances and at the same business premises.
She managed to escape from her captors.
Tete is arrested the first time:
The Hawks arrested Tete for the first time in April, near Alexandria after they received information about an Audi that was allegedly used in the kidnappings.
The registration of the Audi had been known to the Hawks so they managed to trace it on the road to Alexandria.
A photograph of Tete alongside the same Audi was shown as evidence in court.
On the day of the first arrest, Tete and three other others were detained.
This included the mother of his child who was with him in the vehicle, and a man and a woman who was in a different vehicle behind them.
Swanepoel said both vehicles and the occupants were searched.
The woman in Tete's company had R3 000 in her handbag on the day.
Upon further investigation, police could confirm that the money showed positive traces of the fluorescent powder used by the Hawks to stain the money before each ransom drop.
This powder is not available to the public and cannot be seen with the naked eye but visible when tested under certain lights.
“The money found on her is the same money that was handed over for the release of the victim in this current case.
“We also had the information about the vehicle that was allegedly used,” Swanepoel testified.
The Director of Public Prosecutions however refused to enroll the case stating that there was a lack of “complete evidence” at that stage.
Tete and the three others were released.
The investigation continued despite Tete’s release:
Further investigation led to police obtaining his cell phone number and confirmation that he was allegedly driving the said Audi at some point.
They also revisited all the kidnapping scenes where they believe Tete was involved as the modus operandi was “exactly the same” from the start of the kidnapping to when the victims were eventually dropped off.
What a deep dive into Tete’s cell phone revealed:
According to Swanepoel, his cell phone did not move around a lot.
It was also not often that the phone was detected in the city’s Northern Areas.
The court heard how during the time of Chen and his mother’s kidnappings, the number was in the direct vicinity of the crime scenes.
Swanepoel said the number was also picked up in the vicinity on the date and during the time of the Gajjar kidnapping in Kariega.
Vehicles used in the kidnappings:
Swanepoel said they could determine that an Opel Mokka was used in the kidnapping of Chen and his mother.
Chen was blindfolded when he was allegedly shoved into the Mokka and at some point, he was moved from one vehicle to another.
During his interview with police Chen described the second vehicle as a “luxury vehicle” with leather seats and an electronic handbrake.
He told police the vehicle must have been an “Audi” or a Mercedez Benz”.
Swanepoel commented that Chen’s knowledge of vehicles is good, considering his line of work, and that electronic handbrakes were only found in luxury vehicles.
Stash Houses where the victims was kept:
Chen was taken to the first place where he spent the night.
Through Chen’s observations, police managed to identify the place as Tete's house at 51 Mgalagala Street in Motherwell.
This house was processed for fingerprints and other evidence.
On the dining room table inside the house, police found traces of the same fluorescent powder they used to stain the money used for Chen’s ransom drop.
Swanepoel said though one could not say with certainty that monies were counted in that house, someone who handled the money must have been inside the house to have left traces of the fluorescent powder there.
The second house is said to be Tete’s house at 23 Nyamazana Street.
Distinctive markings inside the house where Chen and Gajjar were kept:
Swanepoel said the houses were identified by distinctive markings like furniture, curtains, a tap that was not working, duvets, the colours of two continental pillows on the bed and down to the floor with its distinct pattern.
When Chen was held captive and during the moments when he was not blindfolded he managed to grab hold of a pencil/crayon and made a mark behind a bedroom door.
He also pulled the bed away from the wall and drew the same mark.
When this house was later inspected by police, they found the markings in the exact spots where Chen had made them during his time in captivity.
Of further significance, Swanepoel testified, is that during Gajjar’s kidnapping a video was sent to her family as proof of life.
In this video, police could determine that she and Chen were at one stage kept in the same bedroom.
Swanepoel said the duvet, the walls, curtains, the red and yellow continental pillows, and the flooring were exactly the same.
The bank statement and how Tete’s co-accused is linked to the Chen kidnapping:
While Chen was held captive he got hold of a bank statement at one of Tete's houses.
He snuck this statement into his pocket and handed it to police after his release.
The Hawks began following the trail of the bank statement and determined that it belonged to Tete’s co-accused in the case, Mzonoxolo Grwayibana.
The two are said to be cousins, as per Tete’s testimony in support of his release on bail.
They traced Grwayibana to his house in Izinyoka, where his mother and sister informed police that he had gone to look after Tete’s house in Motherwell.
Grwayibana was tracked down at his work address and led police to Tete’s residence at 23 Nyamazana Street.
Upon inspection of this house, Chen’s markings were visible.
He told police that Tete had asked him to stay at the house and that there were times that he had to make himself scarce for a day or three.
The Audi and the night of Chen’s release:
Chen told police that during his stay at the second house, it became clear that an “old African Male” was running the show.
On the night of his release, he was put into an Audi and taken to a place where he was dropped off in Kariega.
He made sure to memorise the Audi’s license plates and relayed the information to the police.
The Audi bore the same plates as the one allegedly linked to Tete.
Conversations during Chen’s captivity:
While being held captive at the second house, Chen heard the suspects mention that they were also allegedly responsible for kidnapping his mother.
It is believed to have been said that his mother managed to escape because her captors underestimated the “old Chinese lady”.
Swanepoel testified that there was seemingly a relaxed approach towards her, which is why she managed to escape.
The Hawks go looking at 51 Mgalagala Street:
Swanepoel said they went looking for Tete at the said address one day.
They spoke to Tete’s son as he was not home, and enquired about the whereabouts of the Audi as per the description Chen gave police.
Swanepoel said “interestingly” enough the Audi was transferred into the name of Tete’s son on the same day.
Tete’s son is alleged to have said that his mother had driven the Audi to the school where she works as a teacher, but the cops could not find the Audi at the school.
According to Swanepoel the woman arrived home in a Jikeleza and said the Audi had given problems and she left it near a shopping mall.
Police patrolled the area and found the Audi “hidden” between houses near a shopping complex.
“There was nothing wrong with the car,” Swanepoel told the court.
This gave the police grounds to book the Audi into the SAPS13 register.
“She was asked where Tete was to which she responded that she did not know and does not care.
“A few days later she, Tete, and the son were arrested in the same vehicle,” though she claimed not to have known where he was.
Tete’s arrest on 9 June:
He was arrested about 3km from Fort Beaufort.
According to the arresting officer’s report, Tete tried to evade arrest by running into a bush.
Swanepoel said his bolting caused the arresting officer (An officer from the K9 Unit in Makhanda) to fire a warning shot to get him to stop.
He also said Tete allegedly told the arresting officer he knew why police were on his trail and that Tete is alleged to have said: “The cops are not looking for the big fish, but the small foot soldiers”.
When discussing the strength of the State’s case, Swanepoel drew a correlation between the kidnappings of Gajjar, Chen, and his mother.
He said in both the kidnapping of mother and son the Opel Mokka was used and that Tete’s cell phone records placed him in the vicinity of both crime scenes.
He noted that from traces in one of the houses, there was no doubt that Chen and Gajjar had been kept in the same place.
He further pointed to the Audi and the traces of the fluorescent powder that was used on the ransom money which were found in one of Tete’s houses and in his wife’s handbag during the first arrest.
“We believe we have dismantled the syndicate responsible for the spate of kidnappings.
“Since the arrest, kidnappings have gone down,” said Swanepoel.
He further said Tete has proven that he can evade arrest because he has money and cars which enables him to travel nationally.
“If he could not adhere to his parole conditions, how will he adhere to bail conditions?
“His family has already shown that blood is thicker than water. They won’t give him up,” said Swanepoel.
Both the state and the defence will deliver their closing arguments in the bail hearing later today.
