An average of 11 kidnappings a day were reported in Johannesburg in the first three months of 2026, according to South African Police Service crime statistics. Ten police precincts account for nearly half (44%) of those kidnappings. Five of the precincts, namely Protea, Eldorado Park, Moroka, Ennerdale and Lenaisa, are south of the city.

Police in Johannesburg recorded 971 kidnappings between January and March 2026, the highest of any district in South Africa. That’s 40% of all kidnappings in Gauteng, the country’s worst-affected province, and nearly double Ekurhuleni’s 634 cases over the same period.

The surge reflects a shift in how criminals operate, according to criminologist Professor Jacob Mofokeng. “Kidnapping in Gauteng has become a highly sophisticated, volume-driven commercial enterprise,” he told EWN. “Syndicates have realised that human beings are the most liquid asset in the criminal economy.”

Kidnapping, according to the police’s definition, is not only holding a person until a ransom is paid. It includes the “unlawful intentional deprivation of a person of his freedom of movement” for extortion as well as human trafficking. So, grabbing a person and forcing them to empty their bank accounts before releasing them falls into this category.

The concentration of cases in lower-income areas is no accident, says private investigator Kyle Condon. “Lower-income earners are obviously far easier targets and do not draw as much media attention or dedicated police response,” he told The Outlier.

Produced in partnership with Our City News.