EDITOR’S COMMENT

Kidnapping and avoidance, is Eskom being sabotaged and happy 69th birthday, President Ramaphosa!

Kidnapped by armed gunmen on their way to school a few weeks ago, the four Moti brothers were released unharmed on Thursday 19 November, a day prior to the release of South Africa’s latest police crime statistics.

Kidnapped by armed gunmen on their way to school a few weeks ago, the four Moti brothers were released unharmed on Thursday 19 November, a day prior to the release of South Africa’s latest police crime statistics.

The correlation between the two events is significant in that kidnapping in the country increased by more than 28 percent during the period July to September 2021. This translates to 2,000 reported kidnappings in just three months.

People are kidnapped for many reasons: during the course of hijackings and armed robberies, to give criminals more time to escape and/or bargaining collateral; human trafficking, domesticrelated reasons and for ransom, among others. And while the Moti family and the police remain mum about a ransom having been paid, talk on the street is that the boys’ release came on the back of a R50 million dead-drop ransom. I hope that the details remain undisclosed, for obvious reasons, not least of all being to deter copycat criminals. Regarded as a relatively low-risk, high-return crime, kidnapping – to quote Carte Blanche news anchor Derek Watts – is a “heartless act that leaves a family traumatised, helpless and confused.”

How I wish that the pupil kidnapped outside her school in Mayfair, Johannesburg on 17 November is also safely returned to her family, along with the thousands of other victims of this despicable crime. According to the Daily Maverick, 6,632 people were kidnapped in South Africa during the year 1 April 2019 to 31 March 2020, ‘most of which certainly didn’t make headlines’. Kidnapping occurs throughout the world, with high-risk countries including Nigeria, Haiti, Colombia, sub-Saharan Africa – and yes, South Africa too.

In the USA a few days ago, a teenage North Carolina girl was rescued from the clutches of her 61-year-old kidnapper, thanks to TikTok and an alert driver. According to Global News, she ‘used the hand signal, originally meant as a nonverbal cue to help victims of domestic abuse, to signal distress to a passing motorist’. We need to up the game when it comes to protecting our children, not least of all by teaching them about this signal (my 24-year-old son, who’s no stranger to the world’s social media platforms, didn’t know about either the signal or the story — when I told him, he got goosebumps.)

The Hiscox Global Insight begins with a disturbing introduction: “We’ve dealt with a variety of different types of kidnappings. Some are over very quickly: express kidnappings, where someone is grabbed off the street, taken to an ATM and forced to withdraw money before being released. Others are hoaxes: virtual kidnappings where a person receives a call or a text, supposedly from a family member, and is tricked into paying a ransom, only to discover later that the ‘victim’ had never been taken in the first place. But many that we’ve dealt with have been classic kidnappings, in which someone is seized at gunpoint and held against their will by an organised gang who have targeted the person and studied their habits. The kidnappers’ demands are backed by a very real threat to the victim’s life unless the ransom is paid, and delicate negotiations can last days, weeks, months or even years, before a resolution is reached in which the victim is released.”

It then lists a number of ways to reduce the risk of kidnapping, which include:

• Keeping a low profile, physically and online

• If you drive an expensive car, wear valuable jewellery and post pictures of your overseas holidays, you’re inviting close scrutiny from criminals looking for high-value victims.

• Change your routine – often. kidnappers and other criminals watch for routine, so don’t play into their hands by going to school and work on the same roads at the same time every day. Keep changing your routine and your habits, and avoid high-risk areas wherever possible, even if it takes longer to get to your destination.

• Stay alert. Hiscox says most kidnappings occur in high-risk areas, when targets are on the move. Keep a close eye on your surroundings and who’s behind and in front of you, don’t talk on your cell phone and be ready to take evasive action if you feel you’re being followed or in danger. It’s also a good idea to tell someone you trust about where you’re going and further, to avoid driving alone, especially at night.

• Be prepared. “Hope for the best but be prepared for the worst,” recommends Hiscox. If you are apprehended, don’t resist. Do what the kidnappers tell you to do, because real life is very different from the movies. (Credit due to “Hiscox London Market, the insurer of choice for the world’s leading companies”).

Is Eskom being deliberately sabotaged?

According to Business Tech, “Independent analysts have backed Eskom Chief Executive André de Ruyter’s claims of sabotage at the embattled power utility, with multiple incidents of malicious damage seen across the group’s operations.”

De Ruyter, who left Nampak to take over the reins of the deeply troubled stateowned power entity in January 2020, addressed the media on 19 November, following yet another round of loadshedding throughout South Africa. “For the first time, Eskom has pinned the blame of load-shedding on sabotage — the latest at Lethabo Power Station in the Free State,” wrote Ferial Haffajee in her article “André de Ruyter: Deliberate acts of sabotage are causing power cuts” in the Daily Maverick. We’ll keep our readers updated in future issues of Security Focus Africa.

“NO!” to a fourth wave

Having recently passed one grim Covid-19 milestone: 600 days in various stages of lockdown, South Africa is heading for another frightening milestone: as of 24 November 2021, more than 89,600 Covid-19 deaths have been recorded. I’m not getting into any arguments about vaccinating here (for the record, I’ve had my two Pfizer jabs) but I am appealing to you and those you love to maintain social distancing, sanitise, wash your hands regularly and wear medical grade masks. The Festive Season is almost here and with it the potential to be a super-spreader. Please be mindful of everyone around you and do the right thing.

Lastly, a happy 69th birthday, President Cyril Ramaphosa!

Stay safe!