Abduction ordeal for farmer, 63, from Addo

An elderly man who was assaulted and abducted from his farm outside Addo spent the night tied up in a room of a home in Motherwell.

He was dropped off at a petrol station yesterday afternoon and managed to drive home and alert police.

The traumatised man, 63, whom police have not named, was allegedly kidnapped by three men who assaulted him with an axe and demanded the keys to his safe on Saturday just before 7pm when he opened the security gate of his house to feed his horses.

Police spokeswoman Captain Gerda Swart said the assailants had taken three firearms and other equipment from his home.

“The suspects [then] forced [him] into his Isuzu bakkie and drove to a neighbouring farm,” Swart said.

There they forced the elderly man to open the neighbour’s house – which he was looking after while the family was out of town – and ransacked the house.

“Here the suspects took the safe, which also contained firearms, and drove off to a residence, believed to be somewhere in Motherwell, with the complainant,” Swart said.

The man was then tied up and kept in a room overnight.

Early yesterday morning, his abductors had taken his credit cards and used them at a shopping centre in Port Elizabeth, Swart said.

The suspects had then returned to their home and later driven the man to an undisclosed petrol station, where they left him tied up inside his bakkie.

“The complainant managed to drive back to his farm and alerted local police at about 3.30pm,” Swart said.

Detectives from the Uitenhage cluster arrived at the man’s house late yesterday afternoon and are following up on all possible leads.

The police are investigating cases including house robbery and kidnapping.

“More charges might be added,” Swart said.

She said the man was very traumatised and was receiving medical treatment at a hospital.

Swart said the police were not releasing further information as they were still in the process of taking statements.

Anyone with any information is urged to contact SAPS Addo on (042) 233-8803 or Crime Stop on 08600-10111.