Business people ‘easy targets’ for kidnapping, with foreign nationals most at risk in Johannesburg

13 Sep 2024

Since April 2024, a total of 82 cases of kidnapping for ransom have taken place, with the majority of these incidents occurring in the Johannesburg district, the Gauteng Provincial Legislature heard on Friday, 13 September 2024.

Kidnappings for ransom have increased significantly in Gauteng province in recent months, affecting mostly foreign nationals, which has dire consequences for the country’s economic hub.

Since April 2024, a total of 82 cases of kidnapping for ransom have taken place, with a majority of these incidents occurring in the Johannesburg district, the Gauteng Provincial Legislature heard on Friday, 13 September 2024.

Gauteng provincial police commissioner Lieutenant-General Tommy Mthombeni presented crime statistics for the first quarter of the 2024/25 financial year at the Southern Sun Hotel in Rosebank.

Among these kidnapping cases, a specialised team within the Organised Crime Unit handled five high-profile cases. All the victims in these instances were foreign nationals. Specifically, there were two individuals from Portugal, one from Algeria, one from India, and one from Pakistan.

In each of these five cases, the kidnappers demanded substantial ransoms, ranging from R5-million to R10-million.

Desperate

Desperate to save their lives, three of the victims paid portions for the ransom. One Portuguese national paid a ransom of R1.5-million and was released, while an Algerian national paid R350,000, and a Pakistani national paid R100,000. All five victims were either released or rescued.

Mthombeni said the key drivers of kidnapping-related crime included socioeconomic factors such as poverty, unemployment and drug abuse.

“The kidnapping of business people is often viewed as an easy way to extort money from families,” he said.

Read more in Daily Maverick:Africa’s abduction capital - harrowing tales of kidnapping syndicates holding South Africa to ransom

To address incidents where suspects have used a victim’s banking app to withdraw or transact money, Mthombeni said that the Organised Crime Unit had been working closely with the relevant banks and the South African Banking Risk Information Centre to track down the individuals involved.

While the increase in such criminal activities highlighted an urgent need for continued vigilance and effective intervention by law enforcement, Mthombeni said various measures had been put in place, including:

The establishment of forums with foreign nationals targeted for kidnapping for ransom, which includes Chinese, Portuguese and Indian nationals.

A specialised task team to deal with the investigation of these cases was established.

Increased and focused collaboration with the director of public prosecutions and senior public prosecutor regarding kidnappings.

Collaboration with security companies to assist with the combating of kidnappings.

Between October and December 2023, 77 people were kidnapped for ransom, while seven were abducted for human trafficking purposes. Mthombeni suggested that human trafficking remained yet another concern that the South African Police Service continued to battle, also seeing foreign nationals falling victim.

The East Rand Serious Crimes Investigation unit received two dockets, one in February and another April 2024. In one case, the victims were lured through social media advertisements offering job opportunities. They were required to pay R500 to a suspect, who then seized their passports.

The police rescued 10 victims — seven from Lesotho and three from South Africa — who had been housed in a room organised by the suspect. The suspect was also a national of Lesotho.

In a case in Edenvale, seven victims were rescued, and one person was arrested, with all individuals being of Thai nationality. It was discovered that the accused had experienced a similar fate to the victims, having been in South Africa for a lengthy period and working as a manager at a massage parlour.

“These victims were allegedly promised job opportunities in South Africa, but upon arrival in the country they were informed about the debt bondage that they had to first settle. They were subjected to prostitution. Men would visit the parlour and book their services.

“This particular case demonstrates the involvement of a syndicate. The investigation is under way to expose members and associates,” Mthombeni said.

‘Deeply concerning’

The chairperson of the committee, Bandile Masuku, told Daily Maverick: “We have received the report on issues relating to kidnappings and human trafficking, and our reaction as a committee is that it is deeply concerning. We believe it needs more attention, we have agreed as a committee that the police will keep giving us reports on a quarterly basis to monitor it.”

Masuku said he had also noted that the kidnapping and human trafficking incidents involved a lot of foreign nationals, both as perpetrators and also as victims, adding that the Department of Home Affairs must get involved.

Additionally, Masuku was concerned at the impact these incidents would have on business.

“Of course we are concerned about the negative impact this has on doing business in areas like Bedfordview, Johannesburg,” he said. DM

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Desperate

‘Deeply concerning’