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By Jonisayi Maromo 
12h ago
Pretoria – The South African Police Service in Gauteng on Wednesday warned against selling false stories about human trafficking or the abduction of women and children.
The caution came amid a surge in such reports on social media, with “human trafficking” among the top trends in South Africa.
SAPS Gauteng spokeswoman Brigadier Mathapelo Peters said in a statement that the “relentless promotion and distribution of such malicious falsehoods” had continued even after the national police commissioner issued a similar warning against the rumors.
“A video clip has appeared on various social media platforms in which an unknown man desperately claims to have witnessed the abduction of a woman at gunpoint at the Boulders Mall in Midrand,” Peters said.
“The SAPS wishes to confirm that, in fact, on Tuesday morning around 11:15 am at the Boulders Mall, Midrand SAPS police responded to an incident in which an undisclosed amount of cash was allegedly stolen from a woman gun point “.
He said preliminary investigations suggested that two unknown suspects traveling in a van may have followed the woman from a bank where she had reportedly withdrawn a large amount of money.
“The suspects are said to have accosted the victim in the basement parking lot of the mall and demanded money at gunpoint. The suspects took the victim’s purse and other valuables. Both the woman and a six-year-old boy who was with her were unharmed and are safe, ”Peters said.
In another bogus trending story, a voice memo recorded in Afrikaans has a woman calling herself “Jeanie from NCIS” claiming that a child was abducted from a Pick n Pay store in Britain and that similar incidents had occurred in Nelspruit, Bloemfontein and Johannesburg.
“The woman continues to substantiate her lies, further stating that the police have confirmed to her that these kidnapping incidents are increasing. The police can confirm that this too is nothing more than a perpetuation of this trend-setting act of malice that only seeks to spread panic and pandemonium among the communities, ”said Peters.
In some cases, the rumors are not limited to social media platforms, with members of the public coming to the media with allegations of human trafficking and kidnapping and claiming to know the victims or have witnessed the incidents personally.
“However, when the police communicate to determine specific cases, incidents or police stations for investigation purposes, the same people cannot provide such details,” Peters said.
SAPS provincial commissioner in Gauteng, Lieutenant General Elias Mawela, said on Wednesday that nothing good would come from the perpetuation of “fake news.”
“The anonymity that often surrounds the identity of the creators or sources of fake news confirms that the intent can only be hostile, seeking to destabilize community-police relations that SAPS is working so hard to build and restore,” Mawela said.
He said Gauteng police will continue to give priority attention to genuine cases of human trafficking, kidnapping and crimes committed against women, children and other vulnerable people.
Police have urged parents to remain vigilant and prioritize the safety of their children and to always be aware of their whereabouts, making sure not to leave them unattended as this could create an opportunity for their abduction.
African News Agency / ANA
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