Two men accused of kidnapping wig sales people in Khayelitsha, Cape Town, last year will remain behind bars for now after one opted not to apply for bail. 

The prospect of the Khayelitsha magistrate's court granting bail to Siviwe Yekiso was naught though, because at the time of his arrest for the “kidnappings” he was wanted for failing to appear in court for a hijacking case. 

His co-accused, Lungisa Mafuneka, is expected to apply for bail despite the odds stacked against him.

Mafuneka has twice been convicted of kidnapping in Bredasdorp, with both cases including counts of theft and robbery. 

He was paroled in 2019, documents seen by TimesLIVE Investigations showed.

When he appeared in the Khayelitsha magistrate's court on Tuesday, he seemed frustrated that his case was postponed until March 31 for a bail application, arguing with his lawyer regarding addressing the magistrate thereon. 

He and Yekiso were arrested by a Hawks and provincial police task team set up in October last year to investigate kidnappings for ransom. 

Officers pounced on them as they withdrew R10,000 from an ATM in Khayelitsha after allegedly receiving a ransom payment of R30,000. 

TimesLIVE Investigations understands the two victims were kept in a shack near Monwabisi in Khayelitsha, where a male victim, one, a South African, was “tortured”. The suspects allegedly demanded ransom of R500,000. 

He was allegedly kidnapped with a Zimbabwean woman after they were lured to Lingelethu West police station in Khayelitsha by someone pretending to be interested in buying wigs from them. 

The duo were taken on October 22 and only rescued when the man escaped and pleaded with residents in the area for help on November 1.

The accused are among 19 people Western Cape kidnapping task team investigators have arrested in connection with four kidnapping for ransom cases since October last year.