The disturbing revelation by Bay district commissioner Major-General Vuyisile Ncata that criminal syndicates and financial sector employees appear to be working hand in hand, particularly in kidnapping cases, should send shivers down the spine of anyone who is comfortably off.
In a frank interview last week, Ncata said it had become evident that the ransom demands being made closely matched the victims’ bank balances, a clear indication of collaboration between the kidnappers and some bank employees.
When you consider that banks hold most of our personal information, including home and work addresses, telephone numbers and our financial worth, this is a huge worry and an absolute betrayal of a trust that should be intrinsic between clients and banks.
Equally concerning, as revealed by Ncata, is that though arrests are made, too many kidnapping cases collapse because the victims are reluctant to testify in court against the alleged perpetrators.
Though the fears of the victims are understandable — and testifying requires an inordinate amount of courage after such an ordeal — their testimony is needed to secure convictions and take these criminals off the streets.
The failure to testify puts the kidnappers back on the street and free to move on to a new victim.
If it is true that bank employees are working with kidnappers to target their victims, anyone with a few thousand rand in their bank accounts should be looking over their shoulder. A chilling thought indeed.
This open tap of leaked information from financial institutions needs to be closed swiftly and the culprits arrested if there is to be any hope of combating this growing scourge in Nelson Mandela Bay.
Banks must also do more to ensure that their clients’ confidential information is just that — confidential — and not a doorway for criminals to choose their victims.
Kidnapping is out of control in the Bay and though police have had some successes, we can only hope that the victims find the courage to stand up in court and testify against the perpetrators to ensure they are taken off the street and not left to roam free and continue their unconscionable actions.
The Herald
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.