Accused to apply for bail in Sandra Munsamy 'kidnapping' case

Two of the four men implicated in the multimillion-rand kidnapping case of Durban businesswoman Sandra Munsamy intend to apply for bail.

This was revealed when the men, all of whom are being held at SA's only super-maximum prison facility, Ebongweni C-max prison in Kokstad, appeared in the Durban magistrate’s court on Tuesday.

Former head of the national directorate of public prosecutions (NDPP) Mxolisi Nxasana, representing accused one and three, who are South African citizens, said while his clients intended to apply for bail, he could only proceed with the application on Tuesday.

Nxasana told magistrate Anand Maharaj that he had been unable to consult his clients due to them being moved from Westville prison to Kokstad.

Meanwhile, accused four applied for legal aid representation after previously being represented privately.

Accused two's attorney, Gary Bell, said he had received a copy of the international warrant regarding his client and that he intended to abandon his bail application.

It was previously reported that accused two and four were Mozambicans.

Prosecutor Kuveshnie Pillay said there were “outstanding investigations by another unit” and thus the names of the accused were not to be made public.

Pillay previously noted that the state was awaiting the analysis of cellphone records and DNA samples of the accused.

“Cellphone evidence is complicated as international borders have been used,” Pillay said at the time.

The matter was postponed until March 24 for the bail application of accused one and three.

Munsamy, a key figure in the multibillion-rand Xmoor Transport family business empire, was allegedly kidnapped by armed men, setting in motion a hostage and ransom drama that spanned six months.

Hawks detectives found the KwaZulu-Natal businesswoman alive and shackled in a house in Emalahleni, Mpumalanga, in November, 162 days after she disappeared.

The Hawks said her captors had demanded a ransom of R140m.