Justice Moshoeshoe and Thabang Tshali deny any involvement in the Kamogelo Baukudi kidnapping saga.

By Lerato Mutlanyane
 
The Kamogelo Baukudi kidnapping saga continues to present more questions than answers on what really happened to the 19-year-old boy.
 
This comes after a recent arrest of the two suspects who were caught with Baukudi in Kanana Location, in Wepener – approximately 80 kilometers out of Bloemfontein.
 
Justice Moshoeshoe and Thabang Tshali were found by the police in the early hours of Friday last week, walking with Baukudi and claiming to be accompanying him to his mother.
 
Baukudi was reported missing on 5 June 2025 and reunited with his family last Friday.
 
Journal News visited the dusty township of Wepener on Wednesday and spoke to Moshoeshoe and Tshali, who denied any involvement in the kidnapping and claiming to have been Baukudi’s saviors.
 
The duo recalled how they met with the reported missing Baukudi, whom they took to their parents.
 
"It was a normal evening when Baukudi knocked on the door, requesting help from us. After opening for him, he told us his names and that he was kidnapped before requesting that we assist him in calling his mother,” said Moshoeshoe.
 
He said following a brief introduction, they decided to take Baukudi to their parents for further assistance and advice on the matter.
 
Tshali said that following the advice to accompany Baukudi to the nearby police station, where he would meet his mother, they both got arrested and placed in the holding cell.
 
“As we were walking, things took a new turn, and we found ourselves behind a police van, tortured on the way to the holding cell. We knew nothing about him except what he had already told us on his arrival. He said he was kidnapped and kept in a place surrounded by bushes and hills,” said Tshali.

However, their statement was echoed by Moshoeshoe's mother, Maletsatsi Kele, who added that Baukudi’s arrival at their doorstep has changed their lives.
 
“Baukudi seemed very clean, unharmed, and just wanted to get in contact with his mother. What baffled me is when my child was arrested, whereas he was only assisting," said Kele.
 
In a twist of events, charges against Moshoeshoe, Tshali, and three other suspects in Baukudi's kidnapping have been dropped. It's believed that two men pretending to be police officers stopped and abducted him. A police officer whose work vehicle is linked to the crime is the only suspect still being held.
 
Tshali and Moshoeshoe's legal representative, Tiisetso Leballo, emphasised that the SAPS did not follow the correct procedure pertaining to the arrests of his clients.
 
"This arrest has tainted the names of my clients, and they now feel threatened as they are labeled as criminals, and SAPS did not do them any justice," Leballo mentions.
 
Meanwhile; questions are mounting about what really happened to Baukudi or where he was over the period of two weeks of his disappearance.
This is a developing story…