Minister Fritz welcomes arrest of 10 suspects for kidnapping

Minister Fritz welcomes arrest of 10 suspects for kidnapping of Bellville businessman

The Minister of Community Safety, Albert Fritz, welcomes the arrest of ten suspects on Saturday evening following the robbery and kidnapping of a 47-year-old businessman from Bellville on Thursday morning.

Minister Fritz has subsequently called on residents with any information in relation to organised crime, including extortion and business kidnappings, to come forward and report such to SAPS.

A case of robbery and kidnapping was opened at the Bellville SAPS station. SAPS then followed up on crucial leads which led to the Nyanga address, where the victim was being held. The suspects, aged between 20 and 30 years old, have been charged with armed robbery and kidnapping and are expected to appear in the Bellville Magistrate’s court on today.

The victim had been approached by four armed suspects on Voortrekker Road at 9:50 on Thursday morning and was robbed of a large amount of cash and their cellphone. The SAPS in the Western Cape reported that members of the National Intervention Unit (NIU) with Bellville detectives, the hostage negotiation team and crime intelligence closed in on a house in Nyanga and rescued the victim.

Minister Fritz said, “Let this arrest serve as a reminder to any engaging in related illicit activity such as business-related kidnappings and extortion. You will be caught, and you will be prosecuted. I commend the various units involved in these arrests on their efforts to apprehend those involved and return the victim home to his family.”

Minister Fritz added, “Anyone with information on organised crime in the province is urged to report such to SAPS. Only by reporting these activities can we begin to crackdown on them. Reports can be made anonymously by calling the SAPS extortion hotline on 021 466 0011.”