INFOGRAPHIC: Kidnapping cases on the rise in SA

The number of kidnapping cases continues to rise annually, and it is a great cause for concern for ordinary South Africans.  This increase is associated with the rising levels of organised violent crime in the country, such as extortion and human trafficking.

The alarm over such crimes came after police found 90 undocumented Ethiopian nationals being trafficked into South Africa. They were found locked, confined and crammed into rooms at a property in Sunnydale Ridge, Johannesburg.

In his weekly newsletter, Cyril Ramaphosa highlighted that South Africa’s crime-fighting has had to evolve in response to new types of crime which include illicit mining, construction site extortion and kidnappings. He says that the successes of Operation Shanela have shown the benefits of multi-sectoral collaboration and the value of specialised task teams.

The infographic below illustrates how kidnapping cases have increased over the past ten years: