The Portuguese community has been the target of “acts of banditry” and needs “specific attention”, says the ambassador in South Africa, where 32 Portuguese have been kidnapped in the past 18 months.
The Portuguese government will ask South Africa to strengthen surveillance and security of Portuguese-South African businessmen, the target of an unprecedented wave of kidnappings in Gauteng province, a diplomatic source told Lusa on Tuesday.
Wave of kidnappings hits Portuguese community in South Africa
At least 32 Portuguese-South African businessmen have been kidnapped for ransom in South Africa’s Gauteng province in the past 18 months. epicenter of violent crime and kidnappings in the African country, several sources told Lusa.
Portuguese businessman kidnapped in South African city of Johannesburg
Official data, released by the South African police, indicate that between October and December 2023, the province of Gauteng recorded a 20% worsening in the number of kidnappings, recording 2,367 cases, which represents more than half of the kidnappings that occurred in the country during the period of analysis (4,577 cases).
The South African province of Minas Gerais, considered the engine of the South African economy and home to Johannesburg and the country’s capital, Pretoria, is also home to 23 of the country’s 30 police stations with the highest number of kidnapping cases reported to the South African police.
In front of Lusa, the Portuguese ambassador in Pretoria stressed that the Portuguese authorities are “following with concern” the kidnappings of Portuguese compatriots, stressing that we are “faced with a series of kidnappings that are affecting the Portuguese community in a way that is not the case”. specific geographic areaand on the other hand, people who are in the same field of activity”
I intend to request an audience with the Minister of Police after he takes office, which should take place tomorrow. [quarta-feira]also in order to raise awareness about an issue that naturally has very negative repercussions on an orderly community(…) which plays an important role in the South African economy, and therefore we also expect from it (…) the possibility of increasing the security of these people to avoid (…) a successive wave of kidnappings” , he stressed.
The Portuguese diplomat also stressed to Lusa that the Portuguese in South Africa are “concerned” by the growing wave of armed kidnappings, with an average of two kidnappings/day since January 2023, and the million-dollar ransoms.
I intend to tell you [ao ministro] that the community is apprehensive, that (…) has reason to be apprehensive because it sees that it has been the object of repeated attacks acts of banditryand that requires specific attention to be paid to have a better surveillance(…) greater security in carrying out their activities that have an impact on the South African economy,” he added.
José Costa Pereira also told Lusa that the Portuguese Consulate General in Johannesburg “has been in contact with the families, while respecting the instructions given by the families (…) often in relation to the secrecy inherent in these cases, as a precautionary measure regarding the lives of the kidnapped relatives.”
“We are also conducting enquiries with South African police authorities, the consul general is trying to speak to the head of a department that deals with kidnapping cases,” he said.
In 2023 there were at least 18 cases of kidnapping of citizens of Portuguese nationality in the Gauteng region, according to the Portuguese diplomat.
“When I go to speak with the minister, if he agrees to meet me, I have to bring him a file so that he can get an exact idea of what has happened, that is, it is not one, two or three cases that happened this week, but we have seen that this has happened more often,” he added.
The leader of the Portuguese Forum of South Africa, Manny Ferreirinha, told Lusa that the Portuguese-South African non-governmental organization is investigating 14 cases of kidnapping of businessmen Portuguese-South Africans in the South African province of Gauteng, which has been registered since January of this year.
According to South African government data, approximately 200,000 Portuguese citizens and nearly half a million descendants of Portuguese.
Source: Observadora
