Four arrested after surge in Joburg kidnapping

A spike in violent express kidnappings and hijacking in our community appears to have been halted with the arrest of four suspects believed to be behind a string of recent attacks.

It was swift collaboration between CAP; the South African Police Service (SAPS); Community Security Organisation (CSO); and other stakeholders that led to the suspects’ arrest last week.

They were arrested on Friday night, 15 August, and taken to Sandton Police Station. The suspects appeared in the Johannesburg Magistrates’ Court this week, and remain in custody. Authorities believe these arrests have effectively shut down the gang.

“We’re optimistic this threat has been neutralised,” said CAP Deputy Chief Executive Sean Jammy.

“Our priority is always the safe recovery of victims, but dismantling gangs is crucial too. These arrests yielded four suspects, the victim’s vehicle, and the firearms used in the crime,” he said.

Express kidnappings – short-term abductions during which victims are held while suspects demand cash withdrawals, bank transfers, or PIN numbers – have become an increasingly common feature of Johannesburg’s crime landscape.

Victims are often left traumatised, shaken, and fearful long after their release. CAP and the CSO have reported a noticeable surge in such incidents in recent months, with perpetrators targeting residents in familiar neighbourhoods, often close to their own homes. The crimes are swift, unpredictable, and high-risk, which is why speed of response and community vigilance are critical, according to CAP.

The arrest was sparked by the latest hijacking and kidnapping of Johannesburg attorney Rowan Borach, 53, of Victory Park. He was kidnapped last Friday while collecting food in Glenhazel for Shabbos for him and his 76-year-old mother, Glenda.

Just after 14:30, Borach loaded parcels into his Honda Jazz, when four armed men ambushed him. Dragging him out of the driver’s seat, they shoved him onto the floor of the back seat and interrogated him at gunpoint, demanding PIN numbers, banking details, and personal information.

“It happened so fast,” Borach recalled. “There were guns pointed at me. I just did what I was told. They warned me not to lie. At one point, I begged them not to shoot me. They kept saying, ‘Don’t look at us, just tell us how much money you have.’”

His captors drove him around before eventually stopping at a bricked-up dwelling in an informal settlement in Alexandra. They stripped him of his new multifocal glasses so he couldn’t see clearly, shoved him onto the dirty floor, and continued their threats. “They wanted everything – my identity number; my accounts; my cellphone. They even asked if I was married, if I had children. I told them no, and that I had an unstable income,” he said.

At one point, he became nauseous, needing to lie down, so they put him on a mattress on the floor. He was left with two suspects while the other two went on a shopping spree in Sandton City.

All the while, his frantic mother feared the worst. “If something happened to my Rowan, I didn’t want to live,” Glenda said. “He is my diamond, he is my everything. He looks after me.”

It was thanks to a little girl in the area who witnessed the abduction and raised the alarm that CAP and the CSO were alerted quickly. A massive search was launched. “We operationalised teams immediately, drawing on multiple sources of information,” said Jammy. “We worked with SAPS, the CSO, shopping mall security, and the banking sector.”

The victim’s car was located at Sandton City. The vehicle was monitored, and at about 18:15, two suspects were apprehended leaving the mall.

“Further investigation led us to Alexandra, where we found the victim and arrested two more suspects.”

Borach was unharmed, and was later reunited with his mother. “What CAP and the CSO did for me – it’s a miracle,” Glenda said.

Borach was taken to Milpark Hospital for observation.

Jammy confirmed that the suspects are alleged to be linked to other similar cases. “There are markers indicating a link,” he said.

He urged community members to remain vigilant. “Maintain situational awareness in public spaces. Ensure vehicles have tracking systems and phones have tracking apps. And if something happens, call CAP immediately – speed is critical.”

The arrests follow several other incidents, including one three weeks earlier. On 30 July, 22-year-old Kira Scop and a male friend were ambushed outside her father’s Sydenham home at about 20:30. They were chatting in his white Audi A3 vehicle, when a Toyota Avanza boxed them in. Three armed men then surrounded their vehicle. The attackers initially tried to separate them into two vehicles, but after the young man protested, they relented and shoved both into the Toyota.

“They hurled me into the Toyota, shouted, swore, and pointed guns,” Scop said. “One suspect touched me inappropriately. I was scared and even wet myself, which made him stop. They kept demanding all our banking details, personal information, and PIN numbers.”

Scop, who once worked in CAP’s call and dispatch centre, drew on her training to stay somewhat composed. “I felt weirdly prepared for this kind of thing, having played out all kinds of scenarios in my head, although the fear is real. I knew how to take note of details. My family is on Life360, and my dad thought something may have been wrong when he saw me moving towards Alexandra on the app. He called me, but the suspect forced me to answer the call and lie to him, saying that I was fine.” She recalls him being shocked that her father even knew where she was.

Eventually, the suspects dropped them near Alexandra Police Station. They walked through dark streets, past shebeens, before finding help. It took her a while to remember family cellphone numbers due to shock. No one knew of their kidnapping until she got hold of her father later that evening, which then led to their swift rescue by CAP and the CSO.

“Trauma is real,” Scop said. “Always let someone know where you are, stay alert, and trust your instincts if something feels off. Establish code words with family that can be used over the phone,” she advises.

Another Johannesburg businessman, who wishes to remain anonymous, was held up at a red traffic light with his young son on the corner of Arkwright Avenue and 4th Street, Wynberg, at 18:30 on 21 July.

“They pulled my son and me into the back and shoved our heads down, demanding all my banking details which they accessed on my phone, even demanding I change daily withdrawal amounts,” he said.

Eventually, they were driven to a cemetery in Alexandra, and left there. The keys were still in the car. It took minutes before cash was withdrawn.

“They don’t want your car, they want your cash, and they are very sophisticated. I don’t know what the answer is. Our cellphones leave us massively exposed,” he said.

His only advice when stationary at a traffic light is to leave enough space to manoeuvre to make a getaway. Infuriatingly, he said, the trauma is exacerbated when dealing with banking institutions following such an incident. He’s still amazed that he can track his air pods to a place in Alexandra, and police have yet to do anything about it.

“The threat has diminished greatly, that’s what the data shows,” Jammy said. “However, we need to remain vigilant and be sensible.”