Kidnapping remains a serious challenge in Gauteng: Commissioner

Gauteng Police Commissioner, Elias Mawela says kidnapping remains a serious challenge in the province.

He says between the 1st of October and 31st of December 2021, about 523 cases of kidnappings were reported.

A video has now surfaced on social media showing what is believed to be a Vereeniging businessman allegedly being abducted outside his store.

Mawela says Gauteng has witnessed two types of kidnappings, but his team is working around the clock to deal with this criminal activity.

“The first type is kidnapping for ransoms, taking certain communities. Courier vans are being hijacked, they kidnap the driver. But the main purpose is to steal the cargo. So, they remove the cargo and they drop the car there. Our head of anti-organised crime in the province has arrested a lot of people, especially in the Winterveld area, who were responsible for robbing those courier vehicles.” says Mawela.

Video: Discussing the issue of kidnapping in SA with Herman Bosman

More interventions in place to overcome sudden scourge of kidnapping incidents in Mpumalanga: SAPS

Incidents of kidnapping are on the rise in Mpumalanga and police are working around the clock to deal with the problem.

In January, seven kidnapped foreign nationals were rescued in Mbombela and Delmas.

Two Pakistan nationals were rescued in Mbombela and five Bangladesh nationals were found in Delmas.

All the victims were allegedly smuggled into the country through Mozambique.

Police Spokesperson, Robert Netshiunda says their preliminary investigation has revealed that the suspects demanded ransom from the victims’ families.

“During the raid, police also recovered three homemade firearms. The suspects, aged between 36 and 59 years old will appear before the Delmas magistrate’s court soon on charges of kidnapping, human trafficking and unlawful possession of firearms. The National Commissioner has welcomed this achievement and praised the teams involved, highlighting that more interventions have been put in place to overcome this sudden scourge of kidnappings.”