Radebe abducts Pakamile

Vincent Radebe’s abduction of six-year-old Pakamile was an unauthorized act that Radebe later admitted had undermined an official Presidential Intelligence Unit operation. In his account, he took the son of Miriam Nzululwazi on 26 October, kept him overnight, and handed him to Cape Times personnel the following day; he declared that he had acted alone.

Admission and Circumstances

Radebe described taking Pakamile as unlawful and without official sanction. His admission places the abduction on 26 October, the same day he acknowledged responsibility for conduct that hindered the intelligence unit’s operation. The statement identifies Pakamile as Miriam Nzululwazi’s six-year-old son, making the act a forced separation of a young child from his mother.

The Overnight Abduction and Handover

Radebe said he kept Pakamile at his own home overnight. On 27 October, he handed the boy to personnel of the Cape Times. The account therefore records both the child’s removal into Radebe’s custody and his transfer to the newspaper’s personnel the next day; Radebe explicitly acknowledged that the handover undermined the Presidential Intelligence Unit’s operation.

Responsibility and Significance

Radebe stated that he acted alone in abducting Pakamile and wished to blame or involve no one else. The event is known through his admission, which assigns responsibility to him while also linking the abduction and subsequent handover to the disruption of an official operation. His claim of sole responsibility is part of the account, not independent confirmation of whether others were involved.