Latest news with #LindsayKnowlden
Daily Maverick
5 hours ago
- Daily Maverick
Business community reels after kidnapping incident: Nelson Mandela Bay's security crisis deepens
On Saturday morning at 6 am, Gqeberha resident Lindsay Knowlden, 65, was kidnapped from the Fresh Produce Market in Markman Industrial Area. While the kidnapping has sent shockwaves through the Nelson Mandela Bay community, frustrated business owners, whose businesses are under threat from protection rackets, have been calling for improved security in that area for more than two years. For the past two years, members of the Markman Business Forum and business owners have been pleading with the Nelson Mandela Bay municipality for improved security infrastructure, more specifically a 300m fence to improve the safety of those who work in the area, spokesperson Graham Taylor said on Sunday. On Saturday, the business community was shocked after Peter and Lindsay Knowlden were attacked in the underground parking at the Fresh Produce Market. Peter Knowlden was assaulted with a firearm and his wife Lindsay was kidnapped. 'We have been battling now for close on two years, and you almost get the feeling that the municipality is trying its best to avoid us,' Taylor said. Taylor said that a meeting had been held earlier this month with acting city manager Ted Pillay and 'some commitments were made'. 'The boundaries of Markman Industria are incredibly porous,' Taylor said. 'Vulnerable' 'We are vulnerable on three sides of the area. We need a 300m fence. That corner where the Fresh Produce Market is has always been a problem,' he said. He said that to the municipality's credit, it had tried to improve the security at the Fresh Produce market and had built a wall around the facility. 'But personally, I have never seen security guards there. The problem is that it remains completely accessible from the back,' Taylor said. He said the area was monitored by private security, but it urgently needed a fence. 'That way we can introduce proper access control.' He said that currently, anybody could enter the area. 'That Addo corridor is a major challenge,' he said, referring to the road that runs from the N2 through Motherwell to Addo. 'We have been having meetings with logistics service providers and industry stakeholders just to address crime,' Taylor said. 'Businesses have the solution, but people need to start listening.' He said that as a result of the deteriorating security situation in the area, the cost of business had shot up. Some businesses now had to pay R300,000 a month for security. 'Protection racket' Taylor said a protection racket was being run in the area, and any vehicle leaving without security would be followed and hijacked, especially those transporting food. 'Demanding protection money has become a trend,' he said. 'People know exactly what is in those vehicles.' Wayne Hart from Atlas Security said they had been called in on Saturday after Lindsay Knowlden was kidnapped, as the couple were clients. 'As you, we are deeply concerned about the kidnapping of Lindsay Knowlden, which took place in the early hours of Saturday morning. Atlas Security was first on the scene, and our team responded immediately after being alerted. 'Our control room and teams have been working closely with the local authorities, using our extensive network of CCTV cameras across Nelson Mandela Bay to assist in the investigation. We can confirm that the vehicle involved was flagged, but in the interest of the ongoing investigation, further details cannot be shared at this time. 'We are aware that the Hawks have received a ransom demand for Lindsay's safe return. The case is now in the hands of the Hawks and SAPS, and Atlas Security will continue to cooperate fully with all roleplayers as the investigation unfolds. 'Our thoughts are with Lindsay's family and loved ones during this incredibly difficult time. We urge anyone with information to contact SAPS,' Atlas said. SAPS spokesperson Captain Andre Beetge confirmed the incident, and that the case had been transferred to the Hawks. The Fresh Produce Market is a Nelson Mandela Bay municipal facility, but by last night, municipal spokesperson Sithembiso Soyaya had not responded to questions about security measures there. Earlier this month, Sanral construction manager Victor Ngcobo was kidnapped from Addo Road, 3km from the latest abduction. He was released unharmed.
News24
11 hours ago
- News24
Hawks probe Gqeberha woman's abduction as security firm reports ransom demand
Andre Snyman eblockwatch/Facebook Lindsay Knowlden, 65, was kidnapped by armed men from the Nelson Mandela Bay Fresh Produce Market parking lot on Saturday; her husband was assaulted during the abduction. Atlas Security reports that a ransom demand has been made for Knowlden's safe return, though this has not been confirmed by authorities. The security company has provided CCTV footage after flagging the silver VW Polo used in the abduction, and the case has been transferred to the Hawks for investigation. While police were not yet able to confirm that there had been a ransom demand in the kidnapping of a Gqeberha woman, a security company that was first at the scene following the abduction reports that such a demand had been made. Lindsay Knowlden, 65, was abducted from the underground parking lot of the Nelson Mandela Bay Fresh Produce Market in Markman on Saturday morning. 'We are aware that the Hawks have received a ransom demand for Lindsay's safe return. The case is now in the hands of the Hawks and SAPS (South African Police Service),' said Atlas Security in a Facebook post on Sunday. Atlas also said its control room and teams had been working closely with local authorities, using its extensive network of CCTV cameras across Nelson Mandela Bay to assist in the investigation. 'We can confirm that the vehicle involved was flagged but, in the interest of the ongoing investigation, further details cannot be shared at this time.' READ | 'Wonderful' and 'loved by all' - 65-year-old woman reported kidnapped in Gqeberha Police spokesperson Andre Beetge told News24 that the case had been handed over to the Hawks for investigation. Hawks spokesperson Warrant Officer Ndiphiwe Mhlakuvana confirmed that the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI) was investigating. 'The Eastern Cape Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) confirms that an investigation into a kidnapping reported on 21 June 2025 in Gqeberha is actively under way. The Hawks have taken over the matter; [the nitty-gritty] around the investigation will not be revealed, due to the sensitivity of the case. The DPCI appeals to the public for any information related to this incident to come forward,' said Mhlakuvana. When contacted for comment and asked if he could confirm the information shared by Atlas Security, Knowlden's son, Gregory, directed News24 to the police. According to information provided by the security company, Knowlden and her husband were accosted by armed men in the parking lot after arriving for work. Her husband was assaulted with a gun while she was bundled into a silver VW Polo and driven away.
News24
2 days ago
- News24
‘Wonderful' and ‘loved by all' - 65-year-old woman reported kidnapped in Gqeberha
Andre Snyman eblockwatch/Facebook Lindsay Knowlden, 65, was reported as kidnapped on Saturday. She and her husband were apparently accosted outside a market in Markman. Police said an investigation was under way. A desperate search for a 65-year-old Gqeberha woman, described as 'wonderful' and 'loved by all', was underway on Saturday, after she was reported kidnapped. Atlas Security was at the scene at the Nelson Mandela Bay Fresh Produce Market in Markman, north of the city, early on Saturday morning. According to information provided to the private security company, Lindsay Knowlden and her husband were accosted by armed men in the underground parking lot after arriving for work. He was assaulted with a firearm and suffered a laceration to his eye, while she was bundled into a silver Polo and then driven away. The couple's son, Gregory Knowlden, was overcome with emotion on Saturday afternoon. 'She's a wonderful, friendly, genuinely caring person. Loved by all,' he said of his mother. He explained that his father was an agent at the market, and that his mother worked for him. 'They were both there to go to work,' he said. Police spokesperson Captain Andre Beetge said an investigation was 'actively underway'. He said no ransom demand had been received as of yet and appealed to the public 'for any information related to this incident'. It comes on the back of a spate of kidnappings for ransom in recent months, with the Eastern Cape an apparent hotspot. Last week, an EFF councillor, Kholeka Mpupha, appeared in the Dimbaza Magistrate's Court in connection with the abduction of a 42-year-old hardware outlet owner.
The Herald
2 days ago
- The Herald
Gqeberha woman, 65, kidnapped in Markman
A 65-year-old woman has been kidnapped in Gqeberha's Markman industrial node. Lindsay Knowlden arrived at work at the Markman Market fresh produce market at 6am on Saturday with her husband, when they were accosted by several assailants. Knowlden's son Greg said details were sketchy but it appeared that his father was attacked and the suspects seized his mother. "It seems all the attackers were armed. "My father was hit on the head and they kidnapped my mother." Greg said the family had not yet received any ransom demand. Police spokesperson Captain Andre Beetge confirmed the incident. "The SA Police Service [SAPS] confirms that an investigation into a kidnapping reported on June 21 in Markman is actively underway. "SAPS appeals to the public for any information related to this incident." The Herald
