BUSINESS owners in Gqeberha live in fear of a kidnapping syndicate.
Robberies, kidnappings, and extortion are some of the crimes businesspeople in Nelson Mandela Bay in the Eastern Cape are subjected to.
The fed-up business owners are demanding police protection from criminals who are terrorising them in their businesses.
The call comes after another businessman, Neal Ah-Tow (58), was kidnapped on Friday, 1 March, outside his fishery in Crichton Street in Sidwell.
The abduction of Ibhayi Seafood occurred after the kidnapping of Zahor Bhayat (54) from his business, Motherwell Hardware, on Tuesday, 23 January.
A ransom of R1 million was paid to secure his freedom from his abductors.
Provincial Hawks spokeswoman Captain Yolisa Mgolodela confirmed that the Hawks' kidnapping task team is working around the clock to rescue the man.
"Ah-Tow was allegedly kidnapped by five armed men on 1 March as he was about to open his fishers store. He was shoved into a silver Chevrolet Cruz, which sped off," She said.
"After some time, he called his daughter and indicated that a ransom amount should be paid for him to be released. To date, Ah-Tow is still missing. A case of kidnapping is under investigation," said Mgolodela.
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A businessman, who fears to be named for his safety, said: "The situation is bad in Nelson Mandela Bay as we are paying protection fees to gangs. We pay anything between R10 000 to R30 000 monthly out of fear of being kidnapped or robbed.
"This new trend started in the township, and some of us decided to relocate to town. However, these people follow us wherever we trade, and running a business in this town becomes stressful," he said.
"The spate of extortion incidents in Gqeberha makes us panic because we don't know who is next on the list. We are living in constant fear, sometimes scared to open our business premises, but we don't have a choice. We must open them," another businessman said.
"Kidnappings have become more brazen and common in Gqeberha. We want police protection because this is too much. These gangs frequently target hardware and businesses that sell stuff in bulk," he said.
"According to the latest quarterly stats between October and December 2023, kidnapping in the province dropped by 8,2%. The number could be doubled as the police are continuing to arrest those who are behind the kidnappings," provincial police spokeswoman Colonel Priscilla Naidu said.
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