Johannesburg, South Africa – A Mozambican man wanted for a string of kidnappings was fatally shot by police during a raid in Fourways, Johannesburg, as authorities continued their search for a Pretoria businessman still being held for ransom.
The suspect, identified as 40-year-old Mauro Mucambe Junior, was killed earlier this week when officers from South Africa’s anti-kidnapping unit descended on a gated residential complex. Mucambe had been on the run since August 2024, when Mozambican police issued a warrant for his arrest in connection with a kidnapping ring.
Police began the operation in Midrand, arresting two suspects and seizing two luxury vehicles — a Mercedes-Benz and an SUV — believed to have been used in previous abductions. From there, the team moved to Fourways, where a shootout erupted.
National police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said Mucambe fired at officers during the confrontation. He was shot and declared dead at the scene. Police recovered an unlicensed firearm with 10 rounds of ammunition, four mobile phones and four bank cards.
The raid was linked to efforts to rescue a Pakistani businessman abducted in Pretoria. His kidnappers have demanded a ransom from his family, and he remains in captivity. Police say they are confident in the anti-kidnapping unit’s ongoing rescue efforts.
Kidnappings for ransom continue to rise in South Africa, with Gauteng at the epicentre. Since January last year, authorities have made over 170 arrests related to ransom demands, recovered more than R1.2 million, and rescued over 100 victims.
Earlier this week, a woman kidnapped from her Midrand workplace was saved by quick-acting officers from the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department. She had screamed for help from a moving vehicle on the N1, sparking a high-speed chase that ended near the Gordon Road offramp. Her ex-boyfriend, who allegedly abducted her, was arrested on the spot.
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