[imagesource:flickr]

The Western Cape police kidnapping task team managed to nab yet another ‘kidnapping mastermind’ along with seven of his alleged associates on Thursday.

Sivuyile “Lolo” Mki is the alleged mastermind behind the kidnappings of several foreigners, including a South African woman of German descent who was kidnapped outside her family business, a prominent sausage factory in Parow Industria, recently.

The Hawks announced that Mki, along with Yamkela Gedeni, Mandisi Mzikayise Zweni, Athenkosi France Nyathi, Lwandile Mngazana, Lwazi Landzela, Siyabulela Madini and Zolile Sombo were all arrested for their crimes.

TimesLIVE reported that this arrest serves as a major breakthrough in halting kidnappings by an interconnected web of criminals operating mainly from Khayelitsha.

TimesLIVE Investigations, which has been researching Khayelitsha kidnapping for ransom syndicates for months thanks to grant funding from the Henry Nxumalo Foundation, has established that Mki is alleged to be one of the masterminds behind kidnappings for ransom by local groups in Cape Town.

Image: Hawks

Unlike the ‘mega-syndicates’ which have kingpins in Mozambique and whose target demographic has been wealthy Muslim businessmen of Indian descent, the local groups have started targeting smaller foreign shop owners and, increasingly, South Africans.

Mki is linked to the taxi industry and is believed to be a taxi owner, and is also allegedly linked to Xolani Jiyose, a fellow taxi owner who was also arrested for kidnapping recently. Jiyose was arrested in December for the violent kidnapping of two Thai businessmen from Mowbray one of whom died, of injuries sustained, while he was being held hostage.

Both Mki and Jiyose are believed to have started their criminal careers conducting armed robberies before moving on to more violent crimes.

All eight men face charges of kidnapping, robbery with aggravating circumstances, extortion, and theft, and were expected to appear in the Bellville magistrate’s court on Thursday morning.

[source:timeslive]