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Held for Your PIN: Inside South Africa's Express Kidnapping Surge
Gauteng is recording 27 kidnappings a day, and a growing share are "express" abductions — victims driven around for hours and forced to empty their banking apps. Here is how the crime works and how to lower your risk.
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Held for Your PIN: Inside South Africa's Express Kidnapping Surge
Gauteng is recording 27 kidnappings a day, and a growing share are "express" abductions — victims driven around for hours and forced to empty their banking apps. Here is how the crime works and how to lower your risk.
98 Reported, 16 Still Missing: What the Latest Child Statistics Are Hiding
New Western Cape SAPS figures and the unresolved case of a Tshwane teenager who vanished at initiation school this winter show why South Africa's missing-children numbers likely understate a much bigger problem.
Your Holiday Photos Are a Map: How Oversharing Online Fuels Targeted Kidnappings
Syndicates no longer have to follow you to learn your routine — increasingly, you post it. How over-sharing on social media feeds targeted kidnappings, and a practical digital-hygiene checklist for families.
When a Parent Takes the Child: Custody Disputes, Cross-Border Abduction and the Law
Most child abductions in custody disputes are by a parent, not a stranger. What South African law says, how the Hague Convention works when a child is taken across a border, and the urgent first steps for the parent left behind.
"She Just Ran Away": The Assumption That Leaves Missing Teenagers Unsearched
When a teenager disappears, the first assumption is often that they chose to go — and that assumption can be deadly. How grooming and trafficking hide behind the "runaway" label, the warning signs to watch for, and what families should do.
No 24-Hour Wait: How to Report a Missing Loved One in the First Hour
The belief that you must wait 24 hours before reporting someone missing is a myth — and a dangerous one. Here is exactly what to do in the first hour, what to bring to the police, and your rights if a station tries to turn you away.
Winter Wandering: Why the Cold Months Are the Most Dangerous Time for Missing Elders
Six in ten people living with dementia will wander at some point — and in winter, the clock runs faster. How families can prevent it, and the first-hour plan that saves lives when it happens anyway.
The Match That Wasn't: How Kidnapping Syndicates Hunt on Dating Apps
Investigators report organised groups posing as romantic partners online, profiling victims for weeks before a first date becomes an abduction. The pattern is recognisable — and a few non-negotiable habits defeat most of it.
Home From Myanmar: The "Dream Job" That Was a Trafficking Pipeline
Twenty-three South Africans are home after being lured to Southeast Asia by fake job offers and forced to run online scams under armed guard. The recruitment playbook is now well documented — here is how to recognise it.
School's Out on 26 June: A Winter-Holiday Safety Plan for Your Children
The longest mid-year break of 2026 runs from 27 June to 20 July — three weeks when routines dissolve and supervision gets stretched. A practical safety plan, plus exactly what to do in the first hour if a child goes missing.
Fifty Hijackings a Day: The 2026 Hotspot Map and How to Stay Off It
SAPS data shows roughly 50 vehicles hijacked daily, with Gauteng carrying 55% of cases and Mamelodi East surging 80% year-on-year. These are the streets, the times, the target vehicles — and the habits that help.
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