Gauteng province has earned the disturbing title of the "Kidnapping Capital of SA". Recent statistics indicate that almost 53% of all kidnapping cases in the country are reported within this province.
Security experts warn that urgent action is needed, with the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) calling for the revival of the 2009, 2011 Gauteng Aggravated Robbery Strategy to curb this escalating crisis.
This comes after the rescue of a Chinese woman who had been missing since June 2025. She was found in Lenasia last week, where police uncovered Johannesburg Metro Police uniforms and badges at the scene.
Reports indicate that kidnappers are disguising themselves as police officers, complete with uniforms, badges, and even vehicles fitted with blue lights, using the authority of the badge to stop, deceive, and abduct their victims.
According to the South African Police Crime Statistics, kidnapping cases have increased by 15.8% in Gauteng from 2085 in the fourth quarter of the 2023/2024 financial year to 2414 in the same quarter for the 2024/2025 financial year. Gauteng remains the epicentre for kidnappings with 52.8% nationally.
Speaking to The Star, Lizette Lancaster, Head of the Justice and Violence Prevention Programme at the Institute for Security Studies, unpacked the deep-rooted challenges within law enforcement.
She stressed that the ISS has long warned that corruption within the police is systemic, noting: “Organised crime groups cannot be successful without assistance from corrupt police members. This not only enables crime but also taints the image of the SAPS and undermines the honest men and women who still work in the organisation. The internal anti-corruption units of the SAPS need to be strengthened as a matter of urgency.”
Lancaster added that while the latest police statistics reflect a sharp decline in most categories of violent crime, kidnappings remain a disturbing outlier.
“Kidnappings are the biggest exception, with a 6.8% national increase and a 15.8% provincial increase for Gauteng. Gauteng records 52,8% of all reported kidnappings in the country,” she said.
She pointed out that 26 of the top 30 police stations for kidnapping are located in Gauteng, with half of them concentrated in Johannesburg alone.
Lancaster further explained that ISS analysis of Gauteng’s kidnapping statistics reveals that around 80% stem from so-called express kidnappings, which occur during crimes like carjackings, truck hijackings, and business or residential robberies.
In these cases, victims are held hostage until money can be withdrawn from bank cards or mobile applications, with some incidents escalating to ransom demands from relatives. Others are tied to extortion schemes targeting business owners.
“The reduction in robberies in the province, but the large increase in kidnapping, likely indicates the increased adoption of kidnapping as a low-risk, high-reward modus operandi by criminals,” Lancaster adds.
She noted that research indicates robberies, and the kidnappings that often accompany them, are usually carried out by a relatively small group of offenders.
Adding that these crimes respond well to focused, intelligence-driven policing backed by specialised investigation units and forensic support.
“For years, the ISS has maintained that the 2009 to 2011 Gauteng Aggravated Robbery Strategy needs to be reintroduced.
''This strategy at the time managed to reduce hijackings by 32%, home robberies by 20%, and business robberies by 19% in that period. Getting on top of robberies will substantially decrease kidnappings and possibly extortion as well,” she concluded.
In response to these findings, the Democratic Alliance (DA) is urging Gauteng leaders and police to tighten control over uniforms and badges, praising recent arrests and a rescue, but warning that many victims remain missing.
Michael Sun, DA Gauteng Spokesperson for Community Safety, warned that the procedures for issuing, managing, and disposing of police uniforms are poorly regulated and rarely monitored.
“Criminals exploit this by impersonating law enforcement officers, using uniforms and even fake police vehicles to deceive the public, who, out of respect for the authority linked with the uniform, often comply,” he said.
Sun further said that the DA plans to raise questions in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature to clarify how police uniforms are issued and destroyed.
“We also want to understand the rules around procuring and selling police uniforms,” he said.
Police have had their hands full with cases of kidnapping since the start of the year.
Said Brigadier Athlenda Mathe: "From January to March 2025, 144 kidnappings where ransom demands were made were reported in Gauteng.''
The most recent case of kidnapping happened in May.
According to Brigadier Mathe, ''a 60-year-old businessman has been rescued following an intelligence-driven operation led by the SAPS Anti-Kidnapping Task Team in Randfontein, Gauteng.'
'Police said he was kidnapped on 29 May 2025 in Lenasia.
''Following his kidnapping, the family began receiving a ransom demand of at least R15 million.
''Police pounced on a house in Randfontein this afternoon, where a shootout ensued. Two suspects were fatally wounded in the house, while three suspects were arrested. The businessman was rescued and has been reunited with his family,'' Brigadier Mathe added.
In a separate incident in June, a Mozambican kidnapping kingpin was shot dead in Fourways while authorities were tracking a kidnapped Pakistani businessman.
Over the past two years, the SAPS anti-kidnapping task team has arrested more than 170 ransom-related kidnappers across Gauteng and other provinces.
The Star