In Conversation With Crezane Bosch MPL DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Community Safety
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Newly released fourth-quarter crime statistics from the South African Police Service (SAPS) have once again placed Gauteng at the centre of South Africa’s kidnapping crisis. According to the statistics covering January to March 2026, Gauteng accounted for 54.8% of all kidnapping cases recorded nationally, with an average of 27 kidnappings reported every day in the province.
The number of kidnapping cases increased from 2,414 during the same period in 2025 to 2,452 in 2026. Of the top 30 police stations for kidnapping incidents nationwide, 19 are based in Gauteng. Particularly alarming is the rise in ransom-related kidnappings, with Gauteng recording 163 such cases — representing more than 75% of all ransom kidnappings in the country.
Recent incidents have highlighted the brutal and organised nature of these crimes. Earlier this year, two women abducted on New Year’s Eve were later found murdered. In Kagiso, a man was kidnapped during a house robbery while criminals demanded a R500,000 ransom. Meanwhile, a Vosloorus spaza shop owner was reportedly held captive in hijacked buildings for nearly a month.
The Democratic Alliance in Gauteng argues that current crime-fighting strategies are failing to keep up with increasingly sophisticated criminal syndicates. The party is calling for urgent intervention, improved intelligence coordination, better policing resources, and discussions around devolving certain policing powers to provincial government structures.
The number of kidnapping cases increased from 2,414 during the same period in 2025 to 2,452 in 2026. Of the top 30 police stations for kidnapping incidents nationwide, 19 are based in Gauteng. Particularly alarming is the rise in ransom-related kidnappings, with Gauteng recording 163 such cases — representing more than 75% of all ransom kidnappings in the country.
Recent incidents have highlighted the brutal and organised nature of these crimes. Earlier this year, two women abducted on New Year’s Eve were later found murdered. In Kagiso, a man was kidnapped during a house robbery while criminals demanded a R500,000 ransom. Meanwhile, a Vosloorus spaza shop owner was reportedly held captive in hijacked buildings for nearly a month.
The Democratic Alliance in Gauteng argues that current crime-fighting strategies are failing to keep up with increasingly sophisticated criminal syndicates. The party is calling for urgent intervention, improved intelligence coordination, better policing resources, and discussions around devolving certain policing powers to provincial government structures.
