Kidnapping cases remain on the rise across South Africa, with the latest South African Police Service (SAPS) crime statistics showing a 3.9% increase, reaching 4638 reported incidents in the first quarter of the 2026/2027 financial year.
While Gauteng recorded a year-on-year decline in cases, the province still logged 2367 cases – accounting for more than half of all kidnapping incidents reported nationwide. At the national level, police cited ransom demands, extortion, and human trafficking as the primary motives behind the abductions.
Willem Els, a senior training coordinator in the ENACT organised crime programme at the Institute for Security Studies (ISS), said criminal syndicates target Gauteng because it is the heartbeat of South Africa’s economy.
“There is a high-density population and many people of interest are in Gauteng. The availability of resources and infrastructure are some of the reasons criminal syndicates focus on Gauteng, especially concerning kidnapping cases,” he said.
Els comments come after a call by the Gauteng Provincial Legislature’s Portfolio Committee on Community Safety for an urgent, coordinated response to the escalating kidnapping crisis in the province.
The renewed focus was sparked by the discovery of the bodies of 10 women in Kempton Park, Olifantsfontein, KwaThema, Dawn Park, and Tembisa in Ekurhuleni, since July.
Els said many criminal syndicates, including copycat syndicates, focus on Gauteng when orchestrating kidnappings, as well as cross-border networks or operations based outside the country.
“The Kempton Park 58% surge in kidnappings is driven by the micro-economy, or the whole cosmos surrounded by the OR Tambo International Airport,” he said in reference to the Kempton Park police station recording the most number of cases in the country and the largest increase in cases in the first quarter crime stats.
Els however said that the vast majority of kidnappings in South Africa were family-related, with children being kidnapped, including some stemming from disputes in marriages.
Dr Bandile Masuku, chairperson of the Gauteng Provincial Legislature’s Portfolio Committee on Community Safety, said the figures were concerning given the recent discovery of the bodies of several women in the broader Ekurhuleni area.
“The Committee believes the exceptionally high kidnapping figures in Kempton Park demand intensified policing, intelligence-led investigations and visible interventions to protect residents,” Masuku said.
“The Committee is particularly concerned that kidnapping in Gauteng is taking different forms, including hijacking-related kidnappings, where victims are unlawfully restrained or taken during vehicle hijackings, as well as the growing threat of kidnapping for ransom.”
He mentioned two ransom kidnappings that were handled by the SAPS organised crime team: a R5 million ransom in Bekkersdal and a R3m ransom in Roodepoort.
Masuku added that kidnapping had links to other serious crimes and warranted increased attention.
“Kidnapping cannot be treated as an isolated crime when its tentacles extend into hijacking, organised crime, ransom demands and the targeting of vulnerable people. The Committee is calling for kidnapping to receive the highest level of attention in Gauteng, including strengthened intelligence gathering, enhanced co-ordination between law enforcement agencies, targeted operations in identified hot-spots and stronger engagement with communities,” he stated.
Masuku urged residents to work closely with law enforcement by reporting suspicious activity and providing information that could assist investigations.
Brigadier Brenda Muridili, Gauteng police spokesperson, said the SAPS in Gauteng was aware of concerns about kidnapping cases, particularly the increase recorded in the Kempton Park policing precinct.
She said kidnapping cases were not homogeneous and each case was investigated on its own merits to establish the circumstances, motive, modus operandi and possible links between cases.
“Many of the cases reported in Gauteng are so-called express kidnappings, where victims are abducted for a short period and forced to withdraw or transfer money before being released.
“Crime Intelligence, detectives and specialised units work together, including across policing and provincial boundaries where investigations indicate links to organised criminal networks,” Muridili said.
She added that resources were deployed based on identified crime patterns and intelligence, with targeted operations, increased patrols and multidisciplinary investigations undertaken where required.
In a recent Parliamentary reply to a question from uMkhonto weSizwe Party Member of Parliament Noma Buthelezi, acting police minister Firoz Cachalia said the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, also known as the Hawks, and SAPS Crime Intelligence were combating kidnapping and human trafficking through multidisciplinary teams, advanced technology, international co-operation, and intelligence-led investigations.
gcwalisile.khanyile@nationalmg.co.za