Angella Johnson
IT was certainly three times lucky for “Lucky” Malaza. The convicted bank robber, mistakenly released from jail four years ago as a political prisoner, was recently arrested by the police for kidnapping, but released within an hour.
Charges were dropped against him when the victim refused to give evidence and the man with Houdini-like instincts for survival walked free again.
Malaza, who has also been bailed for an alleged bank robbery in Mmabatho, was identified as one of a group of South Africans said to be preying on Nigerian drug pushers in Hillbrow and Berea, Johannesburg.
Police were alerted after Nigerian refugees reported that they had been kidnapped, tortured and held for ransoms of up to R10000 over the past two months – at least 28 people had fallen victim before the authorities were informed.
Malaza, who served about three years of a 16- year sentence before being granted political indemnity, was arrested with two other men during a sting operation. But the Nigerians claimed they were too afraid of reprisals to press charges.
Kidnapping is the latest crime craze to hit South Africa and police have warned that although it may have started with Nigerians of questionable status, there is a danger that it may emerge as popular a trend as the scourge of hijacking.
“We have heard that it is happening in different parts of Johannesburg and that other African nationalities are being targeted,” said Captain Mark Momberg of Hillbrow Police.
He recently had to warn a prominent Ghanaian businessman that his name was on a list of potential targets, and has issued concerned Nigerians with police cellphone numbers.
“Local gangs are looking at this as a way of making easy money and we want to stop this thing before it gets out of hand,” Momberg explained. “Obviously there is a danger that this could spread and become a much bigger problem.”
Ikenna, a smartly dressed Nigerian who sells drugs from the corner of O’Reilly and Tudhope roads in Hillbrow, said the kidnappers usually pass themselves off as police officers taking people in for questioning. The victims are then driven into Soweto and beaten into giving the name of friends or relatives who are then phoned and a ransom demanded.
“We usually negotiate the money to between R3000 and R5 000, then they name a place in Rosebank for the money to be dropped off,” he said.
Kidnapping, a common feature of Latin American gang activities and more recently in Russia, is often a reflection of a society in transition. According to Mark Shaw of the Institute for Defence Policy, comparative social conditions exist between these countries and South Africa.
“We are a society in transition with large disparities between rich and poor, where control structures like the police appear to have broken down and criminal organisations are stepping into the breach.”
Three other South Africans have since been arrested and charged with another kidnapping following a successful police trap. Sergeant Nico Hand, the investigating officer, said they may have been involved in as many as three other cases.