Three Chinese nationals are among the 14 individuals apprehended in connection with the abduction of a Zimbabwean businessman in Johannesburg on Sunday.
The South African Police Service’s (SAPS) anti-kidnapping task team conducted the arrests on Monday afternoon in Gauteng.
The businessman was forcibly taken near his workplace on Sunday. Following an extensive search operation involving the SAPS task team, various SAPS units, and private security partners, the victim was found safe and unharmed in Diepkloof, Soweto.
Brigadier Athlenda Mathe of SAPS provided details of the operation, stating, “The anti-kidnapping task team successfully located the 14 kidnappers at different locations. The first eight were discovered in an apartment in Greenstone Park, while the remaining suspects were apprehended in Sandton.
Significant amounts of cash and multiple speed point machines were withdrawn from the victim’s bank account, and two firearms were confiscated. One of the firearms was reported stolen during a house robbery in Linden in 2023.”
Mathe emphasized the importance of community vigilance and urged residents to report suspicious activities to aid in crime prevention.
There has been a troubling increase in kidnapping incidents targeting businesspeople for ransom in South Africa. According to SA National Commissioner of Police, General Fannie Masemola, 13 businessmen and at least six students have been abducted since January.
Fortunately, all victims were rescued without ransom payments. General Masemola also highlighted the arrest of over 54 kidnappers operating in Gauteng, North West, Mpumalanga, and the Free State this year.
This incident underscores SAPS’s ongoing efforts to combat kidnapping syndicates and ensure the safety of residents and businesspeople in the region.
