Kempton Park records 76 kidnapping cases in three months

Kempton Park recorded 76 kidnapping cases between April and June 2026, the highest total for any police precinct in Gauteng during the quarter.

The figure was presented during a Gauteng Provincial Legislature community-safety stakeholder engagement on Friday. It was up from 48 cases in the same three months of 2025, an increase of 58.3%.

Gauteng accounted for more than half of national cases

Gauteng recorded 2,367 kidnapping cases during the quarter, compared with 4,638 nationally, according to the latest crime statistics cited by the legislature’s Community Safety Portfolio Committee.

The committee said kidnapping cases included victims restrained during hijackings as well as ransom cases. It cited reported ransom demands of R5 million in Bekkersdal and R3 million in Roodepoort during the period.

The legislature called for stronger intelligence gathering, closer coordination among law-enforcement agencies, targeted operations in identified hotspots and greater engagement with communities.

The Kempton Park figures have drawn additional attention following the discovery of several women’s bodies in the broader Ekurhuleni area. Investigations into those deaths remain under way, and the statistics do not by themselves establish a link between individual cases.

The committee urged residents to report suspicious activity and provide information that could assist investigators.