Recent weeks have seen a noticeable increase in kidnappings around South Africa. National Police Commissioner General Fannie Masemola stated these incidents were a “concern,” and that dedicated teams in each province have been making good progress in rescuing victims.
Over the previous two years, over 250 kidnappers “of various nationalities” were arrested, with over 20 businessmen rescued. Additionally, six students were also rescued.
These figures were given by Masemola at a media briefing in Johannesburg on 1 August. Days later, on Sunday 4 August, the South African Police Service (SAPS) Special Task Force (STF) announced it had rescued 90 undocumented Ethiopian nationals held against their will, under inhumane conditions in Sunnydale Ridge, Johannesburg.
A multi-unit task force lead by the STF were tracing a victim of kidnapping for ransom. Upon raiding the residence, officers discovered the undocumented nationals locked up and confined to several rooms. The case is currently being investigated with allegations of human trafficking.
Amongst the Ethiopian nationals, the missing kidnapping victim was discovered and rescued. The victim was kidnapped in Benoni on Tuesday 30 July, with his captors immediately demanding a ransom from his family.
The 90 Ethiopian nationals were transported to a nearby hospital for medical care.
Two alleged human traffickers were arrested at the scene. Police have indicated the suspects are likely to be charged with kidnapping and human trafficking and will appear before the Palm Ridge Magistrates Court. The case has been handed over to the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigations (Hawks) for further investigations.
For World Day Against Trafficking in Persons on 30 July, the Department of Social Development (DSD) cited a June 2023 publication by the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) report that a possible 250 000 people have fallen victim to human trafficking in South Africa alone.
In an interview with the SABC on Monday 5 August, the National Commissioner noted police were allegedly initiating a hostage rescue and “stumbled” across the Ethiopian nationals. The Commissioner further noted that incidents where large groups of people are held captive have “been happening quite some time.”
Last week, the Hawks rescued a Gqerberha businessman, and investigations into his kidnappers are continuing. Two weeks ago, fourteen suspects including three Chinese nationals, two Mozambicans and nine South Africans were arrested in various parts of Johannesburg, and in this case a Zimbabwean businessman was rescued in Diepkloof Soweto.
Police stated the latest operation that rescued the Ethiopian nationals would not have been successful without the work of crime intelligence, organised crime detectives, Sandringham and Daveyton SAPS and private security.
How Crime Intelligence was able to detect and monitor one group, while being completely unaware of another group being trafficked in Johannesburg, leaves some concerned with CI’s ability to address the growth of organised criminal syndicates operating in South Africa.
Kidnapping cases have been increasingly rapidly in South Africa, with 15 343 recorded kidnapping cases in South Africa as reported by Statistics SA for the 2022/23 financial year. Gauteng had the highest incidences of kidnapping, with 7 818 reported, followed by KwaZulu-Natal with 3 081 cases of kidnapping in the same period. This sudden increase is associated with the rising levels of organised violent crime in the country.
Masemola last week said the recent increase in kidnappings is due to various motives, “such as car hijacking, rape. The rise of these kidnappings is a concern, and police are upscaling their efforts in heightening police visibility and tracing wanted suspects in this regard.”
Kidnapping instances where ransom is the motive has seen “dedicated teams in each province [be] able to register commendable progress in rescuing victims and taking down these syndicates.”
“We have full confidence in the capabilities of these multidisciplinary teams that include counterintelligence, and various specialized units within the SAPS,” Masemola said.