GBV epidemic | Unmasking Gauteng s rape and robbery syndicate

GBV epidemic | Unmasking Gauteng s rape and robbery syndicate Janine2 Thu, 10/30/2025 - 19:30 Rape crime scene JOHANNESBURG - Police have arrested a suspected serial rapist linked to at least eight cases of rape, robbery, and kidnapping across Gauteng.The suspect allegedly worked with accomplices, including men posing as Uber drivers, who transported victims from their homes.READ: Men urged to join the fight against GBVIn some cases, he lured women with marriage proposals before robbing them of their cell phones.He then used the victims’ WhatsApp contacts to identify and target new victims. For years, gender-based violence has devastated South African communities, with sexual assault and rape remaining widespread and deeply entrenched.According to the latest police statistics, between January and March this year, South Africa recorded 1,872 sexual assaults and 10,688 rape cases nationwide.And those numbers climbed even higher after the reporting period ended.Mpumi, not her real name, is the survivor of what police believe is a rape, kidnapping, and robbery syndicate operating across Johannesburg Central, Sandton, Midrand, and Germiston. On 12 October, Mpumi and her friend, along with three other women, were raped in a secluded area on the outskirts of Johannesburg’s CBD.The syndicate is allegedly led by a man known as SK. He met Mpumi at her workplace, a restaurant in the Maboneng precinct, in early September and soon after proposed to her.This was one of his tactics to lure victims. On the night of the attack, Mpumi says the perpetrator and an accomplice picked them up from the Maboneng precinct.Once in the car, their phones were seized and cell phone banking transfers were made. The perpetrator later used the victims’ WhatsApp accounts to lure two more of Mpumi’s friends, another of his calculated tactics.For most of that night, Mpumi and her friend endured repeated sexual assault.Just weeks later, the perpetrator kidnapped and robbed two students in Germiston. Their families, with help from community leaders, tracked him down and apprehended him this past Tuesday.Police had been closing in on the syndicate after several women came forward between June and October 2025 to report similar rapes.So far, two people, including the alleged ringleader, have been arrested and are due in court on Friday. They face charges of rape, kidnapping, and robbery. Police say the investigation continues, and the cases uncovered so far may be just the tip of the iceberg.

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