Girls fight off abductors on way to school

PLETTENBERG Bay police have launched a manhunt after the attempted abduction of two young children on their way to school. The two 12-year-old girls, both Grade 4 pupils at the Phakamisani Primary School, were walking from their home in Bossiegif to a bus stop in the holiday town’s industrial area at 7am when they realised they were being followed. Police spokesman Lieutenant Marlene Pieterse said when the pupils reached Theron Street a white Chevrolet, with five occupants, one wearing a balaclava, stopped next to them. At least two of the occupants had allegedly grabbed the girls and attempted to force them into the vehicle. She said the children had fought back and started running away when a woman in the vehicle attempted to persuade the children not to flee and to get into the vehicle. “They refused and quickly got onto the bus waiting to take them to school,” Pieterse said. She said the matter had later been reported to the police and they were now investigating two cases of attempted abduction.

She said no arrests had been made and the police were looking at all available avenues to track down those involved. “We and the Plett community are totally outraged about what is happening in Plettenberg Bay,” Women and Men Against Child Abuse spokeswoman Joanne Barrett said. “We are relieved that the children are all fine, but the crimes of sexual assault, rape, and now abduction, are becoming an epidemic,” she said. “We trust that an investigation is being carried out to arrest and convict whoever attempted to abduct the children to prevent any further harm.” Anti-child abuse group The Green Hearts spokesman Yvette Wilschut said she too was horrified that there were “people out there” attempting to abduct children in broad daylight. “The scary thing is we don’t even know what their sordid intentions were,” Wilschut said. “We need to protect our children and we need all the help we can get. “Everyone needs to get involved.”