A man has been arrested for allegedly attempting to kidnap a 13-year-old boy in Trenance Park, KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), on Thursday, 13 February 2025. Community members witnessed the suspect following a child into a residential property and promptly alerted Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA).
MAN ATTEMPTS TO KIDNAP TEENAGE BOY
According to Reaction Unit South Africa, the suspect had been trailing the 13-year-old boy from a school in Phoenix. The boy took a shortcut and noticed that a man carrying a knife was following him.
Realising that the suspect was getting closer, he decided to walk past his home and quickly ran into the home of an unknown man, with the suspect in close pursuit.
“Inside the residence, a male and female were attacked by the suspect when they confronted him.”
“The male sustained head injuries when he was assaulted on his head with a steel lock and a broken bottle,” said RUSA.
Speaking to The South African, Reaction Office spokesperson Prem Balram said the suspect was charged with house robbery.
He said, “Because he ran into[sic] the house, they charged him for house robbery; I’m not sure if the attempted kidnapping was added.”
THREE SUSPECTS APPEAR IN COURT FOR KIDNAPPING 9-YEAR-OLD
Three suspects made their first court appearance at the East London Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday 12 February 2025, facing charges of allegedly kidnapping 9-year-old Emman Ghunman outside Dreamland Primary School in Buffalo Flats, East London, on 4 February 2025.
Eastern Cape Premier Lubabalo Oscar Mabuyane praised the Hawks for their thorough investigation into the situation.
“The abduction of the Vergenoeg girl sent shockwaves throughout our province, and we are grateful for the progress made in this distressing case.”
“We applaud the Hawks for their dedication and perseverance in solving this case, and we look forward to justice being served,” said Mabuyane.
HIGH RATE OF KIDNAP CASES A CONCERN
The increasing rate of kidnapping cases in South Africa is becoming a serious concern. Speaking to eNCA, crime expert and research associate at the University of Johannesburg, Calvin Rafadi, said that many of these cases appear to be connected to ransom-related abductions.
Ransom-related abductions involve the kidnapping of a person to demand cash or monetary value in exchange for their release.
A report from StatsSA in December 2024 indicated that 561 kidnappings were linked to ransom demands, while 93 other kidnapping cases were associated with extortion.
Do you think that showing off on social media might add to ransom-related abductions?
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