SAPS Task Team Hunts Members of Johannesburg Kidnapping Syndicate

• Police are on the hunt for the kidnapping syndicate believed to be responsible for at least four abductions in Johannesburg
• Officers arrested a suspected syndicate member during a rescue mission of a kidnapped 49-year-old Portuguese businessman
• The SAPS arrested 49 alleged kidnappers in Gauteng, North West and the Free State since January 2024

Zingisa Chirwa is an experienced Briefly News journalist based in Johannesburg, South Africa, who has covered crime and current affairs on the radio for over 15 years.

Police are on the prowl for the accomplices of a 39-year-old man believed to be part of a kidnapping syndicate that was responsible for at least four abductions in the Johannesburg area.

Police rescue abducted businessman

The SAPS anti-kidnapping task team detained the suspect during an operation to rescue a 49-year-old Portuguese businessman who was abducted in Florida, Johannesburg, on 24 June 2024. The multi-disciplinary team reportedly traced the businessman to a house in Snake Park, in Soweto, on 1 July 2024. Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said, in a statement, that the police arrested one of the alleged kidnappers in Turfontein, Johannesburg, on the same day. Mathe added that the 49-year-old was the latest victim to be rescued by the team:

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“In the last six months, 12 businessmen and six students who had been kidnapped for ransom have been rescued by a multidisciplinary team led by the South African Police Service (SAPS) anti-kidnapping task team.”

According to the SAPS, 49 kidnappers who demanded ransom were arrested in Gauteng, North West and the Free State since January 2024.

Mzansi applauds the SAPS

Many netizens congratulated the police for the successful rescue mission, while others called for the deportation of the foreign national.

@BlackEx76207713 said:

“Thank you, @SAPoliceService. We are proud of your hard work. Mr Senzo, please do right by our law enforcement officers.”

@MervynFiford1 added:

“This is excellent police work. Congratulations ”

@The_patriotic90 suggested:

“Good job now hand him over to @HomeAffairsSA for deportation.”

@Lord_2knows speculated:

“[They] are kidnapping themselves; they must go back to @mozambique.”

@SDREDMI wondered:

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“What type of Visa, if any, does this Portuguese have? Probably none.”

Mpumalanga SAPS rescue victims abducted near Hazyview

Briefly News recently reported that police in Mpumalanga were searching for criminals who abducted two people in Hazyview.

The SAPS said the armed men bundled the victims into the boots of two VW Polos and drove off with them.

The police managed to trace and find both victims and their abandoned vehicles on the same evening of the abduction.

Source: Briefly News