SA Crime Stats Reveal Over 2,000 Kidnapping Cases in Three Months With 52 Ransom Demands

Police Minister Bheki Cele says there have been over 2,000 kidnapping cases reported to the police between July to September 2021.

Cele and SAPS management briefed Parliament’s police committee on Friday about the latest crime statistics for the second quarter of 2021/2022.

The police minister said kidnapping is a new category of crime that the police are monitoring closely.

Gauteng lead with a total of 729 kidnapping cases, followed by KwaZulu-Natal with 407.

Cele says there were 93 more kidnapping cases in July, 175 more in August and 177 in September. 

“Majority of the kidnappings reported were high-jacking related, followed by kidnappings which were Robbery and Rape related. Out of a sample of 620 cases, 52 kidnapping cases were ransom related and most occurred in the Gauteng province. Seven kidnappings were as a result of Human Trafficking.” 

Cele says while the “crime picture “ he painted is not ideal, it is certainly getting better with time planning and deployment of resources, where they are needed most.