Police investigate soccer player’s alleged kidnapping
The player later returned home safely, while SAPS continues with further investigations into the matter.
Police are investigating a possible staged kidnapping involving a 27-year-old professional soccer player after he was reported missing by his family and later returned home safely.
According to the police, the player’s family reported him missing after receiving a call from an unknown person using the player’s phone.
The caller allegedly claimed that the soccer player had been kidnapped and demanded a ransom for his release.
Concerned for his safety, the family went to the Witbank Police Station on July 5, where they opened a case of kidnapping for ransom.
Police immediately launched an investigation, deploying detectives and resources to trace the alleged victim.
Later that same afternoon, the soccer player arrived home unharmed.
During follow-up investigations and questioning by detectives, police found that no ransom had been paid, and indications suggested that the alleged kidnapping may not have occurred.
“The police investigation suggests that the soccer player might have faked his own kidnapping,” said Colonel Mavela Masondo in a statement.
The matter remains under investigation, and police are considering possible charges, including defeating the ends of justice.
The Acting Provincial Commissioner of the SAPS in Mpumalanga, Major General Zeph Mkhwanazi, warned community members against making false crime reports, saying such actions have serious consequences and place unnecessary pressure on police resources.
“Staging a crime can never be tolerated, and such behaviour comes with consequences. When false reports are made, police divert limited state resources like vehicles, personnel and time that could have been channelled to responding to genuine cases where people’s lives could really be in serious danger,” said Mkhwanazi.
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— WitbankNews (@WitbankN) July 9, 2026
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