Kidnappings for ransom increase in Limpopo’s Thohoyandou area

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There are growing concerns of kidnappings for ransom in various parts of the country. In Limpopo, Thohoyandou area is fast becoming a hotspot for kidnapping for ransom.

The Indian business community nestled in this suburb believes it is being targeted. Just in the past months, five families have had to raise hefty amounts of cash to pay for the safe return of their loved ones.

According to one of the victims, “They live in constant fear. When I was coming back from work to my house, they hijacked me on the way close to my house. They took me and covered my face with a cloth. They didn’t let me see anything. They kept me in some house. It wasn’t far, but it looked like a village. I was kept for about two days.

“After the ransom was paid, they released me on the third day. They took my son on Friday when he was going to buy bread from the spaza, which was just a five-minute walk from our house. As he finished buying bread and was walking back home, they took him on the way. They phoned me and said, ‘No, your son is here. If you want your son, you bring R20 million.”