Residents living in the Laudium/ Eldoraigne area and even those living in other parts of the country, were shocked and even surprised to learn that the partner of a local resident had been kidnapped, last Wednesday evening.
This followed CCTV footage that went viral, showing Alex van Heerden (26), believed to be married to controversial Private Investigator, Rashad Ismail of Eldoglen Estate Centurion, being kidnapped. However it is believed that Alex was estranged from Rashad and had a restraining order against him. Ironically Rashad, who has close ties with senior police officers, is known to have ‘investigated’ many kidnapping cases.
Alex, an attorney, was in an Uber vehicle travelling from News Cafe in Rosebank to her residence at Mimosa Road, Northcliff Johannesburg, last Wednesday evening (August 5), shortly before 7pm. CCTV footage (see recording of footage on the Laudium Sun Facebook Page) showed that as Alex was being dropped off by the Uber vehicle in front of her gate, she was grabbed by armed thugs and bundled into another car, a white Renault Clio, which then sped away. Strangely, the Uber driver immediately left the scene, but in another direction. A case was then opened at the Fairlands Police Station: CAS: 38/08/2026. Fortunately, Alex was released by her assailants a few hours later.
RESPONSE
Since then, there have been mixed reactions to her kidnapping saga, on social media platforms. One of the comments read, “Let us be unequivocally clear. Kidnapping is a massive, terrifying crisis in South Africa that shatters lives. But the recent saga involving 26 year old Northcliff attorney Alex Soleil van Heerden is quickly morphing into a completely different genre of chaos. We are no longer looking at a gritty true crime documentary. We are watching a master class in criminal incompetence. The details emerging from this case are genuinely staggering. Armed men ambushed Van Heerden outside her apartment and forced her into a white Renault Clio. It is a terrifying scenario, except these alleged criminal masterminds used the actual, registered number plates for the getaway car. No cloned plates. No stolen vehicles. They executed a high stakes abduction using a car registered directly to a verifiable residential address in the Vaal. Police and private investigators literally just looked up the owner, drove to his house, found her belongings, and made an immediate arrest. It is almost comforting to know that local syndicates can be this deeply inept.
Then comes the baffling release. The kidnappers were allegedly acting on strict instructions from a mysterious third party not to hurt her. They kept her fed and eventually dropped her off near Vosloorus. But before she left, they handed her a R200 note for travel expenses. In a country where organized crime usually demands millions in untraceable crypto, these guys basically funded her transport to the local police station. It is a plot twist that completely defies logic.
Naturally, no bizarre national saga is complete without the grand entrance of private investigator Mike Bolhuis. He has stepped in to manage the intense media speculation surrounding Van Heerden’s estranged husband, who ironically happens to be an anti-kidnapping specialist. Bolhuis assured the public that his team is focusing strictly on hard evidence. We can only hope the real mastermind behind this operation is brought to justice before they try to claim that R200 as a business expense.”
*Attempts to get a comment from Rashad were unsuccessful.
Madlanga Commission…
Rashad fingered in kidnapping saga…
Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi told the Parliamentary AdHoc Committee recently that a kidnapping investigation uncovered payments of over R500,000 from Mozambican kingpin Esmael Nangy, believed to be paid to private investigator Rashad Ismail of Eldoglen, near Laudium. Mkhwanazi said the investigator, introduced by Fannie Nkosi as a “kidnapping expert” before the Madlanga Commission, allegedly ensured ransom payments were made to kidnappers. He added that investigators later found a kidnapped businessman, Zakariyya Desai of Stanger, at a house owned by a police sergeant, before he was moved to Mozambique, with the financial links and evidence still under investigation.
