Cape Town - Missing persons organisations have indicated that the Covid-19 pandemic has contributed to victims falling prey to kidnappers.
Promises of job opportunities have placed victims off their guard, trusting strangers who make fake advertisements for recruitment.
Police, together with missing persons organisations, said they were unable to comment on which areas made the list for top kidnapping hotspots.
Police spokesperson Colonel Andre Traut said crime had no borders and that kidnappings were top of their priority.
Traut said the investigation of kidnapped two-month-old Ka-isha Meniers of Bishop Lavis and Shireen Essop of Manenberg, who vanished in Philippi last month, were still under way.
“Missing persons and kidnappings are investigated with the necessary priority and sensitivity that are afforded to serious cases and every endeavour is made to reunite the victim with his or her family. It is on this basis that the finer aspects of these cases cannot be shared on an open platform.
“This office is not in a position to label an area as a specific hotspot for kidnappings, as this crime has no borders.
“Gender-based violence and femicide hotspots are determined by crime statistics, and due to a moratorium, these figures cannot be released by this office. Vigilance is possibly the best defence against becoming a victim of any crime.”
Candice van der Rheede, of the Western Cape Missing Persons Unit said the challenges they faced were people not reporting near-kidnappings to police and requested that victims remained vigilant in obtaining as much information about the suspect and their vehicles.
“If you have experienced an incident involving kidnapping, please report it to the police, please make sure to get a proper description of the vehicle and the suspects and make sure that you get the correct model and make, google and check which fits the one you saw and if there are any dents or scratches, or anything unusual, the type of wheels it has, the registration number and even try to take a photograph,” she said.
“Never leave your children unattended and try to walk with someone if it is during the early hours of the morning. Human traffickers look like us, just remember that. There are different kinds of kidnappings and the problem we have is that attempted kidnappings are not being reported to Saps. Saps cannot give stats because it is not being reported.”
Bianca Van Aswegen, from Missing Children South Africa said they had seen an increase in kidnappings during lockdown nationally, stating that the economic effect of the pandemic had contributed to this.
“We have seen in increase in kidnappings happening and human trafficking escalating in our country and this is of great concern.
“We need to keep in mind kidnappings happen for various reasons and the motive is not always known until for instance a ransom call is received or the person or child is found. South Africa has been declared a human trafficking hub by the US Department of State, and Covid-19 has had a dreadful effect on this, due to poverty that has stricken our country and many people that have lost their jobs and are therefore falling victim to false job advertisements, false recruitment agencies and modelling contracts to name a few.”
Nawaal Abdoorft, the chairperson of the Schaapkraal Safety Forum, is appealing to women to be more vigilant and aware should they be followed by kidnappers.
Abdoorft said she escaped a group of men following her with their vehicle nearly two weeks ago and used her gut instincts and vigilance to get away.
She had noticed a group of black males travelling in a black Audi, which had passed her and then later, was travelling behind her vehicle.
“It was near the Coke factory and Newfields,” she said.
“I was driving towards the bridge when I saw that they were now behind me after having passed me before. I immediately called my son and put on my location and kept talking to my son and alerted them to keep the garage door open.”
Abdoorft said the men in the vehicle had followed her until she reached the entry to Schaapkraal and believed her quick thinking saved her.
“Always place on your location when you leave home, if you feel someone is following you, call a loved one and keep them on the line, call and ask them to open up the front gate and for someone to be waiting outside for you and detail the description of the vehicle and passengers if possible.”