Latest news with #Rusa
The Citizen
08-07-2025
- The Citizen
KZN teen (13) stalked and blackmailed by alleged Instagram predator
KZN police have launched an investigation into possible contraventions of the Sexual Offences Act 23 of 1957 and charges of intimidation after a 13-year-old girl from Phoenix, KZN, was allegedly threatened by a stalker who had been following her on Instagram. The Witness reports that the incident unfolded last week, when private security company Reaction Unit South Africa (Rusa) responded to an emergency call at a residence in Phoenix, Durban. Rusa spokesperson Prem Balram says an 18-year-old teenager, who was reported to have been threatening the girl online, was found outside her home at about 15:00. He says the suspect fled the area in a white Toyota Corolla. 'The family, who had locked themselves indoors, told our officers that the 13-year-old Grade Eight girl had been chatting to the man, who befriended her on Instagram in April 2024. 'The man repeatedly sent nude pictures and homemade pornographic videos to the girl via WhatsApp and had requested nudes of [her]. The girl became concerned for her safety when the suspect stalked her at school excursions and knew her whereabouts. 'He then threatened her with exposing her nudes and started demanding money from her. This eventually escalated to threats of kidnapping and murder. The girl had shared personal details with the perpetrator, who then used the information to track down her residential address and work locations of her parents,' says Balram. Balram says Rusa is in possession of several pornographic videos and images made by the suspect in his bedroom and sent to the girl. The suspect has been identified as a resident of Kenville, KZN, and is an employee of a catering company. The girl's father declined to comment. Provincial police spokesperson Constable Thenjiswa Ngcobo says Phoenix police have registered a case of contravention of the Sexual Offences Act and intimidation. Mountain Rise SAPS Community Policing Forum chairperson Sham Govender says cyberbullying remains a major concern. Referring to a recent case involving a social media platform, he called for more proactive measures. 'It has come to the attention of the Mountain Rise CPF that an inappropriate Instagram platform, involving pupils from three high schools in the northern areas, has reappeared. This serves as a warning to all parents to monitor their children's social media usage. 'As parents, we must be proactive in addressing this cyber issue, as children who are afraid to inform their parents could face devastating consequences,' says Govender. Clinical psychologist Navin Nursoo says social media is highly unregulated and easily accessible. 'It is scary; there is little control across the board regarding social media use. Parents have little to no access to what their children are engaging with online across all social media platforms. 'Children who are in primary school are now on social media; they are not mature enough to engage with older people, as this often leads to a distorted idea of relationships and dysfunctional social behaviour in the future.' He adds that while it may not be possible to monitor everything children encounter online, parents should instil strong values to help safeguard them. 'Parents need to educate their children about the dangers of social media and teach them values about its moral use, which will assist parents in monitoring what their children engage with,' Nursoo says. Breaking news at your fingertips… Follow Caxton Network News on Facebook and join our WhatsApp channel. Nuus wat saakmaak. Volg Caxton Netwerk-nuus op Facebook en sluit aan by ons WhatsApp-kanaal. Read original story on At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
IOL News
05-07-2025
- IOL News
Verulam police investigate murder of 51-year-old man in suspected hit
A blue Hyundai i10 with multiple bullet holes, the scene of a tragic shooting incident in Verulam, where a 51-year-old man was murdered while travelling with two passengers. Image: Supplied Verulam police are investigating the murder of a 51-year-old man who was gunned down in his vehicle while travelling to his home in the Mhlasini area in a suspected hit on Thursday. Reaction Unit South Africa (Rusa) spokesperson Prem Balram said the man was travelling to his residence with two passengers. Balram said that at approximately 6.51pm, the Rusa operations centre received multiple calls for assistance after gunmen opened fire on a blue Hyundai i10 at the corner of Hazelmere Drive and Quarry Road in Redcliffe. When reaction officers and Rusa paramedics arrived at the scene, they discovered the driver of the vehicle slumped in his seat. 'He was shot multiple times and died before first responders arrived,' he said. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ According to Balram, the deceased's 32-year-old girlfriend and his work colleague were in the vehicle at the time of the incident. 'The female sustained a gunshot wound to her buttocks, and the male was grazed by a bullet on his back.' He said it was established that three men who were standing on the side of the road suddenly opened fire on the vehicle. 'Both passengers disembarked and fled. The gunmen continued shooting at the driver as they walked towards the car. They thereafter fled on foot in an unknown direction,' said Balram. Balram added that 13 spent 9mm cartridges were recovered at the scene. Provincial police spokesperson Constable Thenjiswa Ngcobo said the motive for the killing is unknown. 'Verulam police have opened a case of murder and two of attempted murder following an incident in which three people were allegedly attacked while in the vehicle on 3 July 2025,' she said. Ngcobo said it was reported that the victims were ambushed by unknown people while driving. 'The suspects opened fire, fatally wounding a 51-year-old man and injuring two victims, who were taken to hospital for medical attention,' she confirmed. According to Balram, the deceased man is believed to be an employee of eThekwini Municipality. When approached for confirmation, municipal spokesperson Gugu Sisilana referred queries related to criminal matters to the SAPS. 'The municipality does not have the authority to investigate murder incidents because this is the mandate of the South African Police Services, and we will therefore not be able to comment or confirm any information,' she said. The 51-year-old victim was travelling with two passengers. Image: Supplied A 51-year-old man was murdered while travelling with two passengers. Image: Supplied A blue Hyundai i10 with multiple bullet holes. Image: Supplied
TimesLIVE
04-07-2025
- TimesLIVE
eThekwini municipal official fatally shot while on his way home
A 51-year-old eThekwini municipal employee was shot and killed in Redcliffe in the north of Durban on Thursday night while travelling home. The man from Mhlasini was a deputy superintendent in the roads and storm water department. He was with a colleague and his girlfriend, 32, who were injured when three gunmen opened fire at the Hyundai i10. Reaction Unit South Africa (Rusa) spokesperson Prem Balram said their operations centre received calls for assistance after the shooting at the corner of Hazelmere Drive and Quarry Road shortly before 7pm. 'Rusa officers and paramedics were dispatched and found the driver of the vehicle slumped in his seat. He was shot many times and died before the arrival of first responders,' said Balram. He said the woman sustained a gunshot wound to her buttocks while the male was grazed by a bullet on his back. The trio came under fire from three men who were standing at the side of the road. 'The passengers fled. The gunmen continued shooting at the driver while they walked towards the car. They fled on foot,' said Balram. He said 13 spent 9mm cartridges were recovered.
The Citizen
02-07-2025
- The Citizen
KZN teen dies after being struck by water-filled bottle in alleged act of frustration
KZN teen dies after being struck by water-filled bottle in alleged act of frustration A 16-year-old boy tragically lost his life on Monday night in a shocking incident at the Cornubia Flats housing complex, north of Durban, after he was struck on the head with a 5l bottle of water, allegedly thrown at him by a resident. According to Reaction Unit South Africa (Rusa), its operations centre received a call from a distressed female resident requesting urgent assistance. Rising Sun reports that the 48-year-old woman informed the controller that two boys had been peeping at her through her kitchen door, something she claimed had become a daily occurrence. Frustrated and angered by the repeated incidents, the woman exited her home and threw a 5l plastic bottle filled with water at one of the boys. The bottle reportedly struck the teenager on the head, causing him to collapse. The woman told responders she believed the boy had died but was too shaken to confirm it. Upon Rusa officers' arrival, they discovered the teenager's body lying motionless in a neighbour's yard. He was found in a left lateral position and died at the scene. Residents helped confirm the teenager's identity. He was also a resident of the Cornubia Flats complex. His parents, who had been alerted by others in the area, arrived shortly after the incident. Verulam SAPS is investigating the matter. It remains unclear whether the woman will face charges. Breaking news at your fingertips… Follow Caxton Network News on Facebook and join our WhatsApp channel. Nuus wat saakmaak. Volg Caxton Netwerk-nuus op Facebook en sluit aan by ons WhatsApp-kanaal. Read original story on At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
The Citizen
01-07-2025
- The Citizen
Teen girl targeted by Instagram predator in KZN
A KZN family called for help after a man who met their teenage daughter on Instagram and threatened her arrived at their home. In the digital era, children can use their devices to interact with strangers on social media. For a 13-year-old girl from Phoenix, KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), what began as an online friendship with a man on Instagram turned into a nightmare when he shared explicit content, threatened her, and tracked her down. On Monday afternoon, officers from Reaction Unit South Africa (Rusa) were called to a residence after an Instagram follower, who had threatened the girl's life, was discovered outside her home at approximately 3.17 pm. KZN teen's stalking outside her home When the officers arrived at the home, the 18-year-old man had fled the scene in a white Toyota Corolla. The girl's family had also locked themselves inside the house. The perpetrator has been identified as a resident of Kenville, in KZN, and works for a catering company. Rusa spokesperson Prem Balram said the family told the officers that their Grade 8 daughter had been chatting to a man who befriended her on Instagram in April 2024. ALSO READ: Taylor Swift stalker nabbed in Germany The teen's interaction with the man turned dark when the man allegedly repeatedly sent her nude images and homemade pornographic videos via WhatsApp and requested nudes from the girl. 'The girl became concerned for her safety when the suspect stalked her at school and on excursions and knew her whereabouts,' Balram said. 'He then threatened her with exposing her nudes and demanded money.' Man, 18, threatened to expose teen's explicit images for money Pictures: Supplied. In South African law, sexually explicit photographs, videos and communications, including those sent between minors under the age of 18, may be classified as child pornography, and the taker of the image, the recipient of the image, and anyone who shares the content may be charged and found guilty of crimes. Unfortunately, the teenage girl has shared personal details with the man, who used the information to track down her residential address and the work locations of her parents. The situation escalated to threats of kidnapping and murder. ALSO READ: Court orders 'obsessed' stalker to stay away from former lover Balram said Rusa is in possession of several pornographic videos made by the suspect in his home, as well as images and videos of the perpetrator pleasuring himself, and several texts of death threats sent to the minor. Reaction officers have obtained facial images of the suspect, which have been forwarded to the police. The Department of Basic Education (DBE) warned of the safety risks of meeting with online predators. Risks linked to online predators 'The internet is a great space and resource for children and teenagers, giving them access to a wealth of information and interaction owing to a vast array of platforms, including social media, email and text messaging,' the department said in April. 'Unfortunately, with this vast access lies the safety risk of meeting with online predators. Online predators are adults who often, in a sexually motivated way, approach children and teenagers online to exploit their innocence and inexperience.' Such behaviour exposes children to the risks of trafficking and child sexual exploitation. NOW READ: WATCH: Woman badly beaten by alleged stalker ex after arriving at work
