Share

Officials, expert reveal possible SA links to kidnap of Tanzanian tycoon

Police officials and a security expert have revealed possible South African links to the kidnapping of Tanzanian billionaire Mohammed Dewji, who was released unharmed on Saturday.

Dewji, 43, who heads the MeTL Group and has been dubbed Africa's youngest billionaire, was seized by gunmen as he entered a hotel gym in Dar es Salaam last Thursday.

Dar es Salaam police chief Lazaro Mambosasa said Dewji had indicated that his kidnappers spoke a "Southern African language", confirming suspicions that they were foreigners, Al Jazeera reported.

According to AFP, Tanzania national police chief Simon Sirro said at a press conference: "Mohammed Dewji told us that the kidnappers wanted money but were very afraid, even though they were armed. He asked them several times how much they wanted but they gave no figure".

"We now know their network, we know which country the plans were made," he reportedly said, without expanding futher.

Ryan Cummings, director of African risk management company Signal Risk, weighed in on the kidnapping.

In a series of tweets on Saturday, he said: "This is very interesting. Firstly, it was confirmed that those who seized Dewji were 'Caucasion', now he claims that they were South African? White South African males involved in armed operations on the African continent tends to usually imply one thing and one thing only.... Guns for hire; could be former SANDF guys who are now selling their expertise to the highest bidder."

Bloomberg reported police as saying that an AK-47 rifle and three pistols were found in the vehicle used by three kidnappers, of whom two spoke English and the other Swahili.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Do you think corruption-accused National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula will survive a motion of no confidence against her?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
No, her days are numbered
41% - 557 votes
Yes, the ANC caucus will protect her
59% - 799 votes
Vote
Rand - Dollar
18.88
+0.3%
Rand - Pound
23.85
+0.2%
Rand - Euro
20.39
+0.2%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.32
+0.2%
Rand - Yen
0.12
+0.2%
Platinum
908.05
0.0%
Palladium
1,014.94
0.0%
Gold
2,232.75
-0.0%
Silver
24.95
-0.1%
Brent Crude
87.00
+1.8%
Top 40
68,346
0.0%
All Share
74,536
0.0%
Resource 10
57,251
0.0%
Industrial 25
103,936
0.0%
Financial 15
16,502
0.0%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE