Gauteng Kidnappings Surge: 144 Ransom Cases Reported Between January and March 2025

• The South African Police Service in Gauteng has witnessed a rise in kidnapping cases where a ransom is demanded
• Police have made breakthroughs around the province and arrested over 100 kidnappers in the past two years
• A Gauteng businessman was recently rescued from a Randfontein home after he was kidnapped almost two months ago

Briefly News journalist Byron Pillay has dedicated a decade to reporting on the South African political landscape, crime, and social issues. He spent 10 years working for the Northern Natal Courier before transitioning to online journalism.

GAUTENG – The South African Police Service (SAPS) in Gauteng is dealing with an increase in kidnappings, especially where ransom demands are involved.

The SAPS has witnessed a rise in the crime trend, with almost 150 cases being reported between January and March 2025 alone. While police have been plagued with kidnapping cases, they have also been able to make numerous arrests.

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How many kidnapping cases have police dealt with?

According to Deputy Provincial Police Commissioner, Fred Kekana, 144 kidnappings where ransom demands were made were reported between January and March 2025 in the province.

He added that police have had successes, as more than 170 kidnappers who deal with ransoms were arrested in Gauteng and other provinces by the SAPS anti-kidnapping task team in the past two years. The most recent success came on 10 July 2025, when police rescued a kidnapped businessman and arrested two men for the crime.

“It’s rife (kidnapping cases), but with these types of successes, the most pleasing and humbling thing is that the victim was rescued alive and unharmed.”

Businessman rescued after almost two months

Kekana also provided more details on the most recent success, where a businessman was rescued after he was kidnapped almost two months ago. The kidnappers demanded R15 million for his release, but the family were only able to pay R2 million.

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Police then made a breakthrough in the case when they arrested one of the suspects, who led them to a house in Greenhills, Randfontein, where the 60-year-old victim was being kept.

When the suspects learnt that one of their own was arrested, they sent a daring message to officers.

“The suspects sent a message: 'We learned that one of us is arrested. Catch us if you can.' And they thought that what they were daring us, thinking they won’t be caught," Kekana explained.

Suspects fatally wounded during shootout

When officers arrived at the house, a shootout ensued between them and the suspects, leading to two of the men being fatally wounded, while two others were arrested. No officers were harmed during the shootout.

Police are also continuing investigations, as they believe that the men could be linked to other kidnapping cases.

“We are currently doing further linkages, but the thing is that this is not the only case where they are linked, and there could be more than we even think,” Kekana noted.

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Speaking exclusively to Briefly News, Private Investigator Haroon Sader noted that kidnapping for ransom had traditionally been associated with professional criminal syndicates (often multinational).

He added that the increase could also be attributed to copycats, where much less sophisticated criminals attempt kidnappings, and these are often much more violent than professionally orchestrated crimes.

It's not just Gauteng where the problem persists either. In January 2025, 12 men were arrested for Eddie Gouveia’s kidnapping. The Louis Trichardt businessman was found safe three months after he was abducted.

In June 2025, two men allegedly pretending to be police officers kidnapped a teenager from Bloemfontein in the Free State.

Ethiopian businessman rescued in Johannesburg

Briefly News reported on 11 March 2025 that an Ethiopian businessman was rescued in the Johannesburg suburb of Kensington.

Law enforcement officers, comprising several key role players, rescued the businessman after he was kidnapped a day earlier.

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One suspect was killed during a shootout in the rescue attempt, and five others were arrested by officers.

Source: Briefly News