Hiding in the shadows: Inside South Africa’s most wanted list

Across South Africa individuals are lurking in the shadows after escaping justice, leaving behind a trail of fear.

The South African Police Services (Saps), along with other law enforcement agencies, are looking for these fugitives.

No crime is trivial, ranging from serious crimes like murder, rape, robbery and assault, to shoplifting and cyber fraud.

According to the police there are 533 wanted people still at large. Additionally, there are 146 wanted suspects and on the internationally sought wanted list, there are three wanted criminals, while one is only a suspect.

The full list of the police’s wanted suspects can be found here.

Fugitives

There is a total of 116 persons wanted for rape, while two are being sought for attempted rape.

Seven people are wanted for attempted murder and 36 are wanted for murder. Four are wanted for culpable homicide.

There are 14 people are wanted for escaping lawful custody.

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Twenty-two men and three women are wanted for housebreaking, while 56 people are fugitives for robbery. A total of 20 people are wanted for possession of unlicensed guns.

Furthermore, police are on the lookout for 39 people who committed fraud, 99 wanted for theft and 22 others are wanted for shoplifting.

These people are only the tip of the iceberg. There are suspects that are wanted for crimes that include the theft of cars, child neglect, child abuse, possession of suspected stolen property, dealing in illegal substances and assault causing grievous bodily harm.

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Interpol’s Red Notice

Some of South Africa’s most dangerous criminals have made it to Interpol‘s most wanted list, also known as the Red Notice.

Interpol, which is an intergovernmental body, has a total of 196 member countries.

According to Interpol, a Red Notice is an appeal to international law authorities to find and temporarily arrest a person pending extradition, surrender, or similar legal action.

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Interpol also says a “Red Notice is not an international arrest warrant”.

There are seven South Africans – six men and one woman – on Interpol’s list.

The woman, Florence Mailos Ndiaye, is wanted in Brazil for international drug trafficking.

Also on Interpol’s list is Zukile William Tsotsa – he is wanted by Namibia for stealing a vehicle and escaping police custody.

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Three men are wanted for murder. Dylan Dean Taljaard and Kishor Naidoo are fugitives sought after by South Africa, with Naidoo also wanted for conspiracy to commit murder and attempted murder. The third man – Mbuso Ncaza Nkosi – is wanted for murder by eSwatini.

The last two South Africans on the list are two men sought after by eSwatini for the violation of the Game Act. They are Wilson Dan Nkosi and Bhekumusa Mawillis Shiba.