A 37-year-old man was kidnapped, assaulted, and left for dead in a bush in Southridge, KZN.
This event is part of a disturbing increase in such crimes across the country, with more than 3,000 kidnappings reported in just three months of 2023.
According to Statistics SA (StatsSA), more than 16 000 kidnappings are recorded annually in South Africa.
Shockingly, 85% of these victims are women and children.
South Africa has seen kidnappings surge nearly 200% over the past decade, with cases rising from 3,832 in 2013 to almost 11,000 in 2021.
StatsSA revealed that as of the 2022/2023 financial year, the total number of kidnappings in South Africa reached 15 343 cases.
Gauteng had the highest number of kidnappings, with 7 818 reports. KwaZulu-Natal followed with 3 081 cases of kidnapping in the same period.
Reasons for the kidnapping range from ransom demands to human trafficking, drugs, business debts, feuds and, in some cases, for muthi (traditional medicine) where human body parts are used.
Kidnapping incidents in South Africa have become more complex and organized, often involving local and international crime syndicates.
These groups, motivated by hefty ransom demands, target not only high-net-worth individuals but also ordinary citizens, sometimes in opportunistic ‘express kidnappings’ where victims are forced to withdraw cash from ATMS.
Crime statistics reveal a 183% increase in kidnapping cases over a nine-year period.
From the 2012/2013 period, where 3 832 cases were reported, to the 2021/2022 period, where 10 826 cases were recorded, the trend has shown no signs of abating.
There is a shift by crime syndicates from solely targeting affluent individuals to now targeting victims from informal settlements and townships, with some being held for ransoms as low as R500.
The rise in kidnappings has been attributed to several factors, including economic strains and the presence of organized crime groups that exploit the country’s socio-economic vulnerabilities.
The government and private security sectors have responded by bolstering forces and establishing specialized anti-kidnapping units to tackle this menace.
The incident in Southridge is a reminder of the prevalent dangers and underscores the need for increased vigilance and improved security measures to protect citizens in South Africa.
Recent kidnappings in SA:
On March 6, two cousins Zahraa Mohammed (17) and Bataviya Mohammed (19) from Brits in the North West were on their way to a school when gunmen forced their vehicle off the road and then abducted them.
Eastern Cape police are still searching for Gqeberha shop owner Neal Ah-Tow (58), who was kidnapped on March 1 by five armed men as he was about to open his store.
On Wednesday, March 13, Sonam Gajjar (34), from Nelson Mandela Bay in the Eastern Cape, who is also the wife of a well-known businessman, was abducted in the driveway of her Kariega home, only a few metres from her front door.
On January 23, a Gqeberha businessman, Godknows Chavazhinji (34), was abducted in Wells Estate, Gqeberha, and was dropped on the side of a road in Korsten after 24 hours of being beaten and tortured. The kidnappers demanded a ransom of R100 000 but eventually released him before any money was paid.
Another businessman, Zahir Bayit (54), was kidnapped from outside his hardware store in Motherwell on January 23 and was released a few days later, after his family paid a R1million ransom.
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