The DA in Mpumalanga have called on the police to urgently create a Specialised Kidnapping Investigative Unit to deal swiftly against the kidnapping groups which seem to be growing and terrorising the communities in the province.

“The kidnapping of Maggie Skhosana, the Municipal Manager of Mpumalanga’s Nkangala District, and her driver must not be taken lightly. It needs dedicated intervention from the police, especially given that Mpumalanga has recorded the second highest increase in cases of kidnappings in the first six months of 2022 – according to First Quarter Crime Statistics of 2022/2023,” says Trudie Grovè-Morgan, DA spokesperson on community safety, security and liaison.

In the first six months of 2022, Mpumalanga recorded an average of 90 kidnappings per month, according to the report. This is the second highest increase in the country after Gauteng – which increased from an average of 277 kidnappings per month in 2021 to an average of 579 kidnappings per month in 2022.

Delmas Police Station, which is part of the Nkangala District Municipality where the kidnapped Maggie Skhosana is the Municipal Manager, has reported the most kidnappings in Mpumalanga per month in the first six months of 2022.

They recorded an average of 93 kidnappings per month in the first half of 2022. It has been suspected that the kidnappings are associated with ransom and extortion.

According to a September 2022 report by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime, ransom and extortion kidnappings in South Africa have been increasing since 2016.

The report states that kidnappings have become a lucrative business for transnational syndicates who target business people, rich foreigners, and politicians in South Africa.

“The DA is concerned that Mpumalanga may be dealing with less sophisticated copycat kidnapping groups who just want to make a quick buck from small amounts of ransom – as most of the cases of kidnappings reported in recent years across the province are of children and women who come from working-class families. We urge the police in the province to act swiftly and establish the Specialised Kidnapping Investigative Unit before more sophisticated kidnapping syndicates are formulated.”