Browsing: Crime and courts

A Johannesburg businessman who was kidnapped at his business premises in Cleveland has been rescued unharmed following a multidisciplinary South African Police Service (SAPS) operation that resulted in the arrest of four suspects. The businessman was allegedly abducted on Saturday, 15 August 2026, before suspects reportedly accessed his bank account and demanded a ransom for his release. Police arranged a controlled ransom drop that led to the arrests, the recovery of two vehicles and four cellphones believed to have been used in the crime. The suspects are expected to appear before the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday, 19 August 2026.

Police and crime experts are investigating whether illegal mining disputes may have played a role in the mass shooting that left 12 people dead and at least nine others injured at Jumpers Informal Settlement in Cleveland, Johannesburg. The Cleveland shooting took place on the night of 9 June 2026 and is now one of the deadliest shootings recorded in Gauteng this year.