KwaZulu Natal: A 25 year old male was rescued last night (Thursday) after he received reliable information that he was going to be sacrificed by a Traditional Healer.
An Off-Duty Member of Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA) received a message from an unknown person at approx. 22:09 on WhatsApp. The complainant mentioned that he needed to be rescued and provided little information. He added that he could not take a call and provided details of his location (picture 3) and a door number.
Reaction Officers were dispatched to Waterloo in Kwazulu Natal (exact location withheld) and found the man indoors in the presence of a Traditional Healer, two unknown men and an unknown female. The complainant, a resident of Matubatuba in Northern Kwazulu Natal, was visibly traumatised and was removed from the property by Reaction Officers.
He informed Officers during an interview that he arrived in Durban – KZN from the Umkhanyakude District in Matubatuba (address withheld) and was working with a man & sharing a laptop to conduct Forex Trading.
Whilst at a car wash in Mhlasini – KZN, a man believed to be a trainee Traditional Healer requested that he accompany a group to visit other witch doctors who would assist him in getting wealthy over a short period. The victim was informed that he would be able to purchase cars and a home and become a millionaire.
The trainee Traditional Healer then took the victim to visit a Mozambican Witch Doctor in Pinetown – KZN, and a Zimbabwean Traditional Healer in Durban – KZN, over a few days.
Earlier yesterday, while en route to perform a final ritual in Waterloo – KZN, he was approached by a male who informed him that the trainee Traditional Healer and his assistants were planning to sacrifice him after lighting incense sticks and conducting a final ritual.
The victim further explained that he was already near the premises and was escorted to the home by the assistants before he could flee. He observed the door number prior to entering but was instructed not to use his phone and not to make any contact with his family during the prayer.
The man became concerned and feared for his life when the Traditional Healer burned incense sticks, which made him drowsy. He believed he was about to be sacrificed and texted the Off-Duty Reaction Officer who he had contacted for a job years prior & had the number saved on his contact list. With 2% of battery life left on his phone, the victim sent out the message before his mobile phone shut down.
The Off-Duty Officer dispatched the call via the Operations Center. The victim was then rescued by the Reaction Officer, who arrived at the address within minutes of being expedited to assist.
The victim did not desire any criminal case and was transported to the South African Police Service (SAPS) in Verulam. This morning, he boarded a taxi to go back to his hometown.