A screenshot of a viral video documenting an alleged attempted kidnapping at Menlyn Park Shopping Centre on 22 September 2022. Photo: TikTok/screenshot
Gauteng police confirmed a case of intimidation and attempted kidnapping was opened at the Brooklyn police station following a viral video of YouTuber Namolinah, who narrated her alleged attempted kidnapping at Menlyn Park Shopping Centre.
The fashionista took to her TikTok account on 22 September to alert other women to be vigilant of their surroundings by posting a video of a man who was following her while she was shopping at Menlyn Mall.
In the video, the beauty content creator can be heard confronting the man to stop following her. The man makes eye contact, before silently walking away.
Frightened, she approached the mall’s security guards, recounted her ordeal, and showed them a picture of the man.
Security guards escorted her to Woolworths, where she purchased new clothes in an attempt to change her appearance, in case the man was not working alone.
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Namolinah told The Citizen that the traumatic incident has affected her mental stability.
“I also do not have the emotional capacity [to comment] as the investigation itself is taking a toll on my mental health.”
Police spokesperson Colonel Mavela Masondo confirmed that Namolinah opened a case of intimidation and attempted kidnapping.
He said the suspect handed himself over at the Brooklyn Police Station on Wednesday.
“He was charged and detained. He appeared before Hatfield Magistrate’s Court on Thursday, 06 October 2022,” said Masondo.
The South African Human Trafficking Hotline told The Citizen they are in contact with Namolinah to help her with the case.
This incident once again forced into the spotlight the reality many South African women face about how places they visit can be unsafe, with syndicates even often operating in public places.
The 2022 annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report released in July revealed that human trafficking incidents have doubled in South Africa.
The report said the majority of human trafficking syndicates operating in the country are run by Nigerians, however, there were also traffickers from Bangladesh, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Pakistan, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, and China.
While the SA Human Trafficking Hotline could not confirm that the man in the video at the Menlyn mall may be associated with one of the human trafficking rings they are investigating, many women have since shared their interactions with the suspect in different Gauteng malls.
The women encountered the man at Sandton City, Eastgate, Mall of Africa, Parkview Shopping Centre, and Woodlands Boulevard Shopping Complex, among others.
Most of the women recounted the same experience of how he would “accidentally bump” into them and ask for petrol money, or ask to drive them home.
Namolinah also criticised the Menlyn mall over their conduct, saying they were incompetent when assisting her.
“Their role in preventing such situations is extremely important yet they failed to call the police and to apply basic due diligence,” Namolinah told The Citizen.
The Menlyn mall management told The Citizen they could not divulge any information because the investigation was active.
Brooklyn Mall told The Citizen they were not aware of any attempted kidnappings or alleged syndicates operating on their premises.
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