Latest news with #Fumba
The Star
26-05-2025
- The Star
Hawks arrest man after kidnapping of R300,000 RAF payout recipient
The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, also known as the Hawks, arrested a 25-year-old man in connection with the kidnapping of a man who received a R300,000 Road Accident Fund (RAF) payout. The incident took place in Tsolo, on November 3, 2023, according to Eastern Cape Hawks spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Avele Fumba. Fumba said the victim was approached by two unidentified men in Tsolo, who allegedly posed as RAF-affiliated doctors offering medical assistance. 'Under this false pretense, the victim was reportedly kidnapped and transported over 800 kilometers to Klerksdorp in the North West province,' Fumba said. 'While held against his will, the victim's bank account was allegedly drained, with funds transferred to accounts linked to the suspects.' Fumba said the victim was later located and safely reunited with his family. He said a breakthrough came when the Hawks' Eastern Cape-based Kidnapping Task Team, working with their North West counterparts, tracked one of the suspects to Klerksdorp. 'The 25-year-old was apprehended and is currently being transported to the Eastern Cape, where he is expected to appear before the Tsolo Magistrate's Court on Monday, May 26, 2025,' Fumba said.
IOL News
24-05-2025
- IOL News
Hawks arrest man after kidnapping of R300,000 RAF payout recipient
The Hawks have arrested a 25-year-old suspect in connection to a kidnapping case after a Tsolo man was lured by suspects posing as doctors and held captive for his R300,000 RAF payout. The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, also known as the Hawks, arrested a 25-year-old man in connection with the kidnapping of a man who received a R300,000 Road Accident Fund (RAF) payout. The incident took place in Tsolo, on November 3, 2023, according to Eastern Cape Hawks spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Avele Fumba. Fumba said the victim was approached by two unidentified men in Tsolo, who allegedly posed as RAF-affiliated doctors offering medical assistance. 'Under this false pretense, the victim was reportedly kidnapped and transported over 800 kilometers to Klerksdorp in the North West province,' Fumba said. 'While held against his will, the victim's bank account was allegedly drained, with funds transferred to accounts linked to the suspects.'
New York Times
16-04-2025
- New York Times
American Pastor Kidnapped in South Africa Is Rescued After Shootout
An American pastor who was abducted in South Africa last week was rescued on Tuesday after a dramatic shootout between the police and his kidnappers, which left three suspects dead, the South African police said. The pastor, Josh Sullivan, from Tennessee, was kidnapped on Thursday by four masked men as he was giving a sermon at the Fellowship Baptist church in Motherwell, a township in the Eastern Cape Province. He was then taken a few miles into the city of Gqeberha, formerly known as Port Elizabeth, the police said in a statement, and held in a safe house — a gated, concrete building. The police, after gathering intelligence, zeroed in on the house, said Lt. Col. Avele Fumba, a spokesman for the South African Police Service. When they arrived, they found a vehicle outside the building with several men inside. 'Upon seeing the police approaching, we believe that they panicked, and started opening fire,' Mr. Fumba said. A 'high-intensity' gun battle erupted and three suspects, whom the police have not identified, were killed, the police said. Inside the vehicle, officers discovered Mr. Sullivan. He was 'miraculously unharmed,' the police said, and is currently in 'excellent condition.' He was later reunited with his family, Mr. Fumba said. 'We're just ecstatically happy he's home safe and unhurt,' Mr. Sullivan's mother, Tonya Rinker, wrote in a text message. Mr. Sullivan, a 34-year-old father, moved to South Africa in 2018 with his wife and family on a mission for the Fellowship Baptist Church, where he has been a staff member for more than a decade, according to his personal website. 'We are looking to finish language school soon and plant a church to the Xhosa speaking people,' he wrote. On Thursday, as he was preaching to a congregation that included his wife and children, four masked men entered the building and stole two cellphones from members of the congregation, according to The Associated Press. Jeremy Hall, a spokesman for the family, told the South African publication Times Live that the men grabbed Mr. Sullivan's wife, Meagan Sullivan, and asked: 'Josh, is this your wife?' 'They knew his name,' Mr. Hall said. The men then pushed Ms. Sullivan to the ground, grabbed Mr. Sullivan and took off with him in his vehicle, Mr. Hall said. His vehicle was found abandoned a few hours later. After his abduction, Mr. Sullivan's kidnappers made a ransom demand, Mr. Fumba said, but he declined to give details because he said the case was still under investigation. After the demand was made, the case was transferred from the police to the Hawks, a specialized law enforcement team that investigates organized crimes and that led the operation at the safe house, Mr. Fumba said. While the motive of the suspects was still under investigation, Mr. Fumba said he believed the kidnapping was perpetrated by 'greedy youngsters' who were likely looking to make some 'quick cash.' The police are still looking for others who might have been involved in the abduction, he said. Kidnappings in South Africa have surged in the last decade, with about 17,000 cases reported between April 2023 and March 2024, according to the Institute for Security Studies, or I.S.S., an Africa-focused think tank. Kidnappings with ransom demands make up only about 5 percent of those abductions. The majority of kidnappings in the country are known as 'express kidnappings,' and typically involve a victim being held for a few hours and forced to make bank transfers or withdraw cash from ATMs, the I.S.S. wrote. While some kidnappings in South Africa are orchestrated by sophisticated transnational organized crime groups that seek out high-value targets, most are conducted by local crime groups, according to I.S.S.
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Yahoo
American missionary rescued after alleged abduction in South Africa, police say
An American missionary who was allegedly kidnapped at gunpoint during a church service in South Africa last Thursday evening was rescued in "a high-intensity shootout" several days later, South African police said Wednesday. Three unidentified suspects were killed during Tuesday's operation, which was led by the South African Police Service's elite Hawks unit, according to a statement from spokesman Lt. Col. Avele Fumba. MORE: American missionary reportedly kidnapped at gunpoint in South Africa during church service Investigators discovered that the abducted U.S. citizen, believed to be a pastor at a church in the South African port city of Gqeberha, was being held at a safe house there, Fumba said. As officers approached the house on Tuesday, suspects inside a vehicle opened fire on law enforcement and attempted to flee the scene, Fumba said, "leading to a high-intensity shootout in which three unidentified suspects were fatally wounded." "The victim was found inside the same vehicle from which the suspects had launched their attack," Fumba added. "Miraculously unharmed, he was immediately assessed by medical personnel and is currently in an excellent condition." Police have not yet identified the rescued American by name. The investigation remains ongoing, according to Fumba. This is a developing story. Please check back for updates. American missionary rescued after alleged abduction in South Africa, police say originally appeared on
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Yahoo
American missionary rescued after alleged abduction in South Africa, police say
An American missionary who was allegedly kidnapped at gunpoint during a church service in South Africa last Thursday evening was rescued in "a high-intensity shootout" several days later, South African police said Wednesday. Three unidentified suspects were killed during Tuesday's operation, which was led by the South African Police Service's elite Hawks unit, according to a statement from spokesman Lt. Col. Avele Fumba. MORE: American missionary reportedly kidnapped at gunpoint in South Africa during church service Investigators discovered that the abducted U.S. citizen, believed to be a pastor at a church in the South African port city of Gqeberha, was being held at a safe house there, Fumba said. As officers approached the house on Tuesday, suspects inside a vehicle opened fire on law enforcement and attempted to flee the scene, Fumba said, "leading to a high-intensity shootout in which three unidentified suspects were fatally wounded." "The victim was found inside the same vehicle from which the suspects had launched their attack," Fumba added. "Miraculously unharmed, he was immediately assessed by medical personnel and is currently in an excellent condition." Police have not yet identified the rescued American by name. The investigation remains ongoing, according to Fumba. This is a developing story. Please check back for updates. American missionary rescued after alleged abduction in South Africa, police say originally appeared on
