Thirty-four witnesses to testify in Sandra Munsamy high court kidnapping case

About 34 witnesses are expected to be called on to testify in the multimillion-rand kidnapping case of Durban businesswoman Sandra Munsamy when the matter is heard in the high court next year.

This was revealed when the four men accused of orchestrating the kidnapping of the 46-year-old mother, and subsequent R153m ransom demand for her safe return, appeared in the Durban magistrate's court on Tuesday.

An indictment was served on the accused.

The Hawks previously made an application to bar the media from identifying or photographing the accused due to the sensitive nature of the case.

TimesLIVE reported that accused one and two are South Africans, and accused three and four are Mozambicans. None have been named.

The men, who have all been denied bail, face charges related to kidnapping, attempted extortion, and robbery with aggravated circumstances.

The two Mozambicans further face a charge of being in SA unlawfully.

Prosecutor Kuveshnie Pillay read out a list of about 34 names to the court who the state were expected to call upon to testify in the matter.

During pre-trail, the accused alleged the Munsamy family had “owed their boss money”.

The matter was postponed to March 23 2021, when it will proceed to the Durban high court.

Munsamy, a key figure in a multibillion-rand Crossmoor Transport family business empire, was allegedly snatched by armed men on May 30 2019, setting in motion a hostage and ransom drama that lasted six months.

Hawks detectives found Munsamy alive and shackled in a house in Emalahleni, Mpumalanga, in November last year, 162 days after she disappeared.

TimesLIVE