The Institute for Security Studies, in a report published on December 3, said: “Kidnapping in South Africa has risen by 264% over the last decade, primarily linked to armed robberies.”
It quoted the annual police crime statistics, which showed kidnappings had increased from 4,692 in 2014/2015 to 17,061 in 2023/2024.
“From July to September, the latest period for which there are official crime statistics, a daily average of 50 kidnappings were reported to police — up by nearly 8% compared to the same period in 2023.
“The risk of kidnapping varies across the country. Gauteng is the most affected province, recording more than half [51%] of all reported incidents, followed by KwaZulu-Natal [20%], Western Cape, and Mpumalanga with 6% each and the Eastern Cape with 5%.
“The remaining provinces contribute between 1% and 4% each,” it said.
The Eastern Cape police recorded 784 kidnappings in the 2022/2023 financial year and 848 cases in 2023/2024.
Community safety and transport MEC Xolile Nqatha vowed to intensify efforts to fight violent crime in the province, saying his department would recruit 500 safety patrollers to back up police in hotspots in the 2024/2025 financial year.
Snyman said the re-emergence of crimes such as kidnapping was due to criminals being aware and monitoring media trends: “The situation dies down; everybody focuses on other things until no-one is aware of it. These criminals disappear until the light is off.”
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