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Foreign nationals who own businesses in the Eastern Cape say they pay a monthly protection fee to gangs, out of fear of being kidnapped and held for ransom.
A member of the Islamic Council of Southern Africa (ICSA), Dr Naveed Anjum, said more than 50 business owners have been kidnapped in just a few months, with more than R1 million paid out in ransom.
These figures emerged at a meeting that was held by ICSA in eQonce this week and was attended by the Deputy High Commissioner of Pakistan in South Africa, together with the Pakistan South Africa Association.
Speaking to Algoa FM News on Friday, Dr Anjum said between three and five foreign business owners are kidnapped at a time, and only released after paying a ransom demand of between R100 000 to R1 million each.
He said groups of businesses are expected to pay about R80 000 and above in monthly “protection fees.”
“Most times the protection money means nothing, as they are still kidnapped,” he said.
The doctor acknowledges that people pay the ransom to save their loved ones, but he strongly encourages them not to pay, saying it just empowers the gangs.
Samir Rehmanwala, who was kidnapped outside his home on 15 March, also spoke to Algoa FM News, but, from the United States.
The 47-year-old businessman had lived in East London but moved overseas after his kidnapping ordeal with two other men.
He said since then, he had learned of “15 businessmen from East London, Mdantsane, eQonce , Alice, and Komga who were kidnapped, with a minimum of R90 000 demanded.”
“These men were held for three to five days with no food or water, and were tortured until ransom was paid.
“Police are no help either, it took them over three weeks for them to get my statement, at that point I had to beg them, as I was moving out of the country,” a frustrated Rehmanwala said.
Dr Anjum said the biggest problem they had were that foreign nationals being targeted were not reporting this to the police out of fear of not being taken seriously.
“Now the biggest problem we have are people saying they do not feel protected by police. They back out of identifying suspects.”
When asked about the collaboration between police and the victims, the doctor says it could be stronger.
With the Hawks investigating most of these kidnappings, the ICSA member said he “hopes police were more willing to help arrest the criminals and control the crime.”
In an interview with Carte Blanche last year, the Hawks Eastern Cape spokesperson, Captain Yolisa Mgolodela, reportedly said that foreign nationals were not that “vulnerable” in her opinion, adding that "from the cases that we have its them against each other" in competition for business.
And, Dr Anjum did not shy away from admitting that at first, it had been competition for business.
“There are some black sheep in the community working with the criminals, feeding them information, and I cannot deny that [these kidnappings] started within the community. Now it is out of control.”
He said the people who were being used by foreign nationals to threaten other foreign nationals, have now formed what they suspect are two gangs, operating on their own.
“Unfortunately most of these started with the help of people within the community. We feel ashamed to even say,” the doctor said.
“Crime knows no race or culture. It will take a better collaboration with the community and police to eradicate the criminals who threaten everyone, not just the lives of foreign nationals.”
