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Grindr abductions — more victims expected to come forward as suspects appear in court

Grindr abductions — more victims expected to come forward as suspects appear in court
Illustration: Midjourney AI
Siyabonga Goni
By Siyabonga Goni
4 Aug 2024
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As three men are accused in court of using the gay dating app to lure men and rob them in Cape Town, the National Prosecuting Authority makes a link to related crimes in Johannesburg.

There were calls for more safeguards for users of gay dating apps after an 18-year-old student was kidnapped in Gauteng in 2023 by the so-called Grindr Gang. Now, in Cape Town, three men face charges in connection with cases over the past year that so far include six survivors, with more victims likely to come forward.

Three men alleged to be linked to the Grindr Gang have appeared in the Cape Town Magistrates’ Court on multiple charges. They are accused of luring gay men through the dating app and holding them hostage for ransom.

Cases involving the Grindr app have been reported in Gauteng, and are continuing in the courts. The three accused are from Gauteng, where they face similar charges, though details were not yet available from the court.

Although the media coined the term “Grindr Gang”, it appears that several criminals or groups, rather than a single syndicate, are using the app to lure victims, Daily Maverick has reported previously.

Read more: Wits kidnapping – LGBTQ activist raises ‘syndicate’ alarm as police probe dozens of similar cases

The three accused men, Mlungisi Mbutu, Zwelakhe Ngwenya and Bongani Zulu, are facing six counts of kidnapping, extortion and robbery. They have allegedly been implicated in cases in Bo-Kaap, Durbanville, Woodstock, Brackenfell and Camps Bay over the past year.

All three appeared together on 1 August. They abandoned their bail application in order to deal with outstanding warrants of arrest in Gauteng.

This followed a ruling on 24 July during an appearance by Ngwenya and Zulu on allegations of kidnapping, extortion and robbery with aggravating circumstances.

They allegedly kidnapped a Grindr user in Durbanville, and an employer paid R3,000 for his release. Mbutu was not charged in connection with that matter.

Explaining the modus operandi, National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said the suspects set up a date after connecting with their victims using the app.

“They meet at an Airbnb, guesthouse or hotel, and then the victim gets kidnapped, tied up, extorted and, at times, they take money from the accused,” he said.

Sometimes the extortionists demanded money from relatives of the victims.

The three, who said through their lawyer, Nceba Jack, that they intended to plead not guilty, are due in court again on 15 October.

In February 2023, police in Johannesburg arrested four suspected members of a kidnapping syndicate that targeted the LGBTQI+ community.

Launched in 2009, Grindr is a networking app for LGBTQI+ people. According to the company, Grindr has millions of daily users in different countries.

Daily Maverick reported 10 months ago that Grindr was under pressure to take steps to protect users who were falling victim to criminals. This was after seven suspects were arrested for kidnapping an 18-year-old Wits University student. They were linked to at least 85 such cases involving members of the LGBTQI+ community.

The police also arrested a suspect for the kidnapping of a 22-year-old Johannesburg man, with Grindr admitting at the time that it was “acutely aware of this deeply troubling situation”.

Grindr Illustration: Midjourney AI


Charges


There are currently six victims in the Cape Town case against the three men, who were arrested in Woodstock on 14 June 2024 after the Hawks rescued a 50-year-old man who was being held hostage.

After receiving a tip-off, they tracked the captive’s phone, which was active in the Woodstock area. Six more victims then came forward and identified the accused as their kidnappers and extortionists.

Ngwenya was the last one to be arrested, after he broke his leg jumping over a wall to evade police.

The Hawks have investigated unusual banking transactions and transfer patterns by the suspects at various banks.

The latest case to be added is from Camps Bay, where a victim was kidnapped in May 2023 and reported the crime. However, no one was arrested at the time.

“It’s actually not a new case, it’s from 2023. The victim and the accused were chatting on the app and he was invited to a hotel,” said Ntabazalila.

“He went and then he was kidnapped [and] tied up and then they took money – R100,000 – from his bank account.”

A new “cybercrime” charge would be ­added against the three men, and more victims were expected to come forward, Ntabazalila said.

The same day, the media were allowed to take photographs of the three men, but the court ruled that their faces must not be shown for now.

Grindr meets survivors


In February 2024, the gay news and lifestyle website MambaOnline.com reported that Grindr representatives came to South Africa to meet several survivors of criminal attacks to hear their harrowing stories first-hand.

Jack Harrison-Quintana, the director of Grindr for Equality, spoke with survivors to find ways to improve protection for users. They talked about ways to report suspicious profiles on the app and discussed options for users to share their location with others.

Read more: Grindr ‘must take steps’ to protect users after another Joburg kidnapping linked to dating app

Daily Maverick asked Grindr for comment, but there was no response.

Speaking to Daily Maverick, Virginia Magwaza, founder of Parents, Families and Friends of the South African Queers, accused Grindr of putting profit above ­people’s safety.

“We suggested to them [Grindr representatives] that they should connect with Home Affairs in South Africa and use the IDs... to verify these accounts, but they did not come back to us,” said Magwaza.

Luiz De Barros, editor of MambaOnline, told Daily Maverick that the kidnapping of gay men was probably a national issue and might involve a syndicate.

He said he was aware of at least 22 cases, though many victims preferred to keep their experiences private.

Safety tips


When asked what people should look out for when meeting their online dates, security expert Herman Bosman made these recommendations:

  • Obtain full details of the person you are to meet (ID, passport and address);

  • Verify details using publicly accessible platforms;

  • Request a video call and obtain as much information as possible;

  • Schedule the first meeting at a neutral location such as a coffee shop or other public place with many people;

  • It may also be wise to be accompanied by a friend;

  • An honest person would not mind providing personal details. If in doubt, do not proceed with the appointment;

  • Always notify a friend or family member of your location and scheduled meetings;

  • Park your vehicle under streetlights and cameras and behind a boom, if possible, in a public place. DM


This story first appeared in our weekly Daily Maverick 168 newspaper, which is available countrywide for R35.

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