A solo female traveller has been abducted while on her way to a four-star spa resort in South Africa.
Alize van der Merwe was driving to the Umngazi Hotel in Port St Johns when she was accosted and captured.
More than 96 hours have passed since the 39-year-old flew from Cape Town to the city of East London on Friday morning.
Her rental car – a white Toyota Fortuner – was found abandoned in the evening not too far from the hotel.
Antoinette Coetser, a specialist investigator, told The Citizen on Sunday evening that all of the victim’s belongings and her cellphone were found in the vehicle.
‘We believe that she travelled as far as the Shell Ultra City on the N2 in Mthatha, which is a popular stop for motorists,’ she said.
‘The last time she spoke to her parents at about 11.30am, she told them that she was heading towards the rest stop.’
It was later that day that the victim is understood to have been abducted.
Police spokesperson Ndiphiwe Mhlakuvana confirmed that Alize’s family have since been contacted about a demand for ransom.
He said officers are ‘working around the clock’ to rescue the woman unharmed, adding that the investigation is still ongoing.
Andre Snyman, founder of Eblockwatch, a network of over 86,000 South Africans ‘looking out for each other’, published an update about the case on Facebook: ‘Alize was driving a Hertz rental car on her way to Amngazi but never arrived.
‘Her parents have confirmed that the car was found abandoned in the Transkei, and a search is now in progress.
‘We are mobilising Eblockwatch members across the country to assist, particularly in the Transkei area.
‘Our network is actively gathering more information and coordinating efforts.’
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