Ten-year-old Liam Aspeling, who was kidnapped in Ennerdale, south of Johannesburg, on Tuesday, has been found, a friend of the family said on Wednesday.
The grade-four pupil was kidnapped outside his home while getting into a car taking him to school at 6.40am on Tuesday, said Vaal police spokesperson Superintendent Maria Mazibuko.
Galieb Essop said the family had received a call that the boy had been dropped off at a fruit retailer and given a pizza.
”He is now on his way home,” said Essop.
The multimillion-rand hijacking trial in which Aspeling’s father is to testify for the state is scheduled to start in the Cape High Court on Monday.
This is according to advocate William Booth, defence counsel for two of the 11 accused, brothers Selwyn and Virgil de Vries, both from Ennerdale.
The De Vries brothers, who were arrested last year and are in Goodwood prison in Cape Town, have both pleaded not guilty to involvement in armed robberies involving R2,2-million between June and October 2003.
Aspeling’s father, Vernon James Aspeling, has reportedly been under witness protection for two years pending his appearance as a state witness.
According to the daily Afrikaans newspaper Beeld, he is being kept in a prison in the Western Cape.
Police were referring all queries on this aspect of the case to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).
”We do not comment on matters with regard to witness protection,” NPA spokesperson Makhosini Nkosi said on Wednesday. — Sapa