Kidnapping and extortion cases are on the rise in the country, and unfortunately, people living with disabilities have become targets for extortionists largely in the Eastern Cape. The blind and deaf of late find themselves having to pay for protection fees to avoid break-ins and getting robbed while business owners continue to be kidnapped for ransom.

PROTECTION FEE FOR THE BLIND

The Department of Social Development in the Eastern Cape said that the issue of extortion began with a land invasion next to a piece of land donated to blind and deaf individuals in Mthatha by an organisation that also developed the area and built houses for them. The department has condemned this and urged the police to act swiftly in apprehending those responsible for targeting vulnerable groups and demanding R200 a month as a protection fee. "The MEC of Social Development always takes a deem view against any act of criminality visited upon the vulnerable sector in our society, and this sector includes children, women, elderly people and people with disabilities. So, we also want to call this act, the act of criminality. We call upon the law enforcement agency to deal decisively against any person who misuse and abuse vulnerable people in our society," said Mzukisi Solani, Eastern Cape Social Development spokesperson. Solani said five people have since been arrested and are facing charges of extortion. A number of businesses in Mthatha were forced to close down, alleging extortion.

KIDNAPPINGS 

According to a Statistics SA report, as of the 2022/2023 financial year, the total number of kidnapping cases in South Africa reached 15,343. Gauteng had the highest incidences of kidnapping, with 7,818 reported and KwaZulu-Natal with 3,081 cases of kidnapping in the same period. This sudden increase is associated with the rising levels of organised violent crime in the country. The Institute for Security Studies (ISS) stated that kidnappings reported to the police in South Africa have almost quadrupled (260%) over the last decade.