A car pulls up to block another at a busy petrol station in Corlett Drive, Johannesburg.
Men jump out, armed with high-calibre weapons, and head straight to the driver of the parked vehicle.
They get him out and attempt to force him into their vehicle. A skirmish occurs.
A petrol attendant, with nothing but bravery and fuelled no doubt by adrenaline, rushes to the scuffle.
The would-be victim breaks out and runs into the building, followed by the attendant, and the kidnappers drive off.
This is the attempted kidnapping incident caught on video that captured the attention of the nation at the weekend.
The heroism of the petrol attendant has endeared him to many South Africans who believe his courage to confront danger may have saved the life of a man.
We commend him and wish that his actions may be rewarded with an opportunity to change the trajectory of his life.
That said, we hope to live in a country where innocent people shouldn’t have to put their lives on the line to protect their fellow citizens from thugs who terrorise us on a daily basis.
Kidnapping crimes in particular have become commonplace. Over 15,000 kidnapping cases were recorded by police in the last reporting year, a massive jump from the 4,000 a decade ago.
This crime and its prevalence is neither isolated nor unique.
It is part of the growing scourge of organised crime so entrenched and widespread in SA.
Daily, we witness businesspeople snatched from public places, professionals taken from their workplaces and bundled into cars by armed men who seem to not fear any consequence for their actions.
Some are released after successful negotiations while others, tragically, are killed and dumped in remote places.
It would be unfair to argue that the police are completely unresponsive to these crimes.
Often arrests are made, although the number of successful prosecutions leaves much to be desired.
But the continued rise of such organised crime tells that for criminals the incentive for committing such crimes far outweighs the risks of any legal accountability.
How we address this systemically enough to make a meaningful difference is the battle our law enforcement is yet to win.
SowetanLIVE
SOWETAN SAYS | Kidnappers must be stopped
Image: 123RF/rafaelbenari
A car pulls up to block another at a busy petrol station in Corlett Drive, Johannesburg.
Men jump out, armed with high-calibre weapons, and head straight to the driver of the parked vehicle.
They get him out and attempt to force him into their vehicle. A skirmish occurs.
A petrol attendant, with nothing but bravery and fuelled no doubt by adrenaline, rushes to the scuffle.
The would-be victim breaks out and runs into the building, followed by the attendant, and the kidnappers drive off.
This is the attempted kidnapping incident caught on video that captured the attention of the nation at the weekend.
The heroism of the petrol attendant has endeared him to many South Africans who believe his courage to confront danger may have saved the life of a man.
We commend him and wish that his actions may be rewarded with an opportunity to change the trajectory of his life.
That said, we hope to live in a country where innocent people shouldn’t have to put their lives on the line to protect their fellow citizens from thugs who terrorise us on a daily basis.
Kidnapping crimes in particular have become commonplace. Over 15,000 kidnapping cases were recorded by police in the last reporting year, a massive jump from the 4,000 a decade ago.
This crime and its prevalence is neither isolated nor unique.
It is part of the growing scourge of organised crime so entrenched and widespread in SA.
Daily, we witness businesspeople snatched from public places, professionals taken from their workplaces and bundled into cars by armed men who seem to not fear any consequence for their actions.
Some are released after successful negotiations while others, tragically, are killed and dumped in remote places.
It would be unfair to argue that the police are completely unresponsive to these crimes.
Often arrests are made, although the number of successful prosecutions leaves much to be desired.
But the continued rise of such organised crime tells that for criminals the incentive for committing such crimes far outweighs the risks of any legal accountability.
How we address this systemically enough to make a meaningful difference is the battle our law enforcement is yet to win.
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