The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) has urged the public to stop spreading fake news and bogus messages about human trafficking and kidnappings of women and children.

The Directorate in the Western Cape says it is deeply concerned about the continued peddling of fake news and cautions the public against the “incessant promotion and distribution of such malicious untruths”.

This follows an incident where fake news surfaced on various social media platforms alleging a 32-year foreign national took a flight from Zimbabwe to OR Tambo International Airport (ORTIA) on 01 December 2002 to meet and collect his fiance.

Information indicated that he then  took a connecting flight to Cape Town International Airport. In the messages, it was indicated that the pair were planning on travel to back for their wedding ceremony.

The information received indicated that he then ordered a taxi to pick him up at the airport.

He was allegedly taken by a different vehicle and not the taxi he requested. At approximately 20h00 the fiancé is said to have received messages from his phone that stated ‘WE GOT HIM’ and demanded money for his safe return. No ransom amount was mentioned.

A multi-disciplinary kidnapping task team was activated to locate the whereabouts of the victim. Preliminary investigation confirmed that there was NO flight from ORTIA as alleged by the message.

It also confirmed that NO traveller with the name and surname as per information received has travelled from Zimbabwe to South Africa in the past three months.

Video footage at Cape Town International Airport was viewed to verify the passenger as per the description given by the complainant. No person was found that matched such description on the CCTV system.

The complainant received another message hours later indicating that the victim is on his way home and that his phone battery is flat. The complainant contacted his family, they indicated that he is safe and it was only a prank…

Members of the public are encouraged to report any crime or suspicious activities by contacting their nearest police station or calling the SAPS Crime Stop number on 08600 10111

Information can also be conveyed to the police via My SAPS app that can be downloaded on any smartphone and the community is discouraged to report fake news to the police as such conduct cause serious harm to the resources.

Kidnappings have made headlines in the last few months, and police call on the public not to pay any ransom but to allow them to do their jobs.

In the most recent kidnapping, a 6 month old baby was snatched in Somerset West by an unknown woman.

Earlier in the year, 8 year old Abirah Dekhta was kidnapped and found almost 2 weeks later in a shack in Khayelitsha.

In October, Ukrainian national Anichka Penev was kidnapped, and was returned to her family, allegedly after a hefty ransom was paid.

In the first six months of 2022, an average of 1 143 kidnappings a month were reported to police, double the monthly average in 2021.

An inter-governmental task force has been formed to help stem the tide of kidnappings and extortion in Cape Town.