Police and activists say LGBTQ+ individuals are often targeted because of hatred and intolerance.
Thabsie Mabezane, a transgender woman and LGBTQ+ activist, said she was aware of personal safety when she met a man on dating app Tinder earlier this year.
She told him that she preferred to meet up in a public space instead of his home.
But Mabezane said as she waited at their meeting point in Johannesburg, an unregistered car pulled up and a man with a gun got out and coerced her into the vehicle.
Mabezane told Reuters that she was taken to an abandoned building where her kidnappers demanded she call friends and ask them to send money. Mabezane said she didn't report the incident as she feared she would not be believed.
"He (kidnapper) opened the room, the door and said to me "sit down," demanding me and I sat down. And then just five seconds four men then just enter. I’m shocked, the one just flew right into me, strangling me. And when they were strangling me I screamed, he told me "if you scream again, I promise that we will hurt and we will kill you," she said.
The South African Police Service, SAPS, national spokesperson, Athlenda Mathe, said in a statement that the service has noticed a trend where perpetrators are targeting unsuspecting individuals on social media networks including dating apps.
"We have arrested and taken down a few syndicates that were targeting the gay and lesbian community," Mathe said.
Tinder said in a statement it encourages users to report any crimes to local law enforcement, and that it has a dedicated team which would cooperate with them to help serve justice. Tinder also said it provides reporting mechanisms through the app and works to detect signs of fraud and review suspicious profiles.
Local security firm Vision Tactical has called for the LGBTQ+ dating app Grindr to be banned in South Africa due to the "alarming rise" in incidents where gay men have been lured to locations where they were physically assaulted, robbed and held hostage.
"We are dealing with a syndicate that's kidnapping three or four people per night," said Vision Tactical director Yaseen Theba, citing a study the company conducted over six months.
In one prominent case in September, an 18-year-old student was kidnapped in Johannesburg after meeting someone on Grindr. He was later rescued and seven suspects arrested, police said.
A company spokesperson at Grindr told Reuters, they are acutely aware of this deeply troubling situation, referring to kidnappings of people who had used the app to arrange meetings.
Grindr has integrated a number of safety features into the app like a video calling feature partially to allow users to verify that the person they are talking to is the person they claim to be before meeting.
Its spokesperson said it issues daily safety warnings to users in South Africa, and are continuing to explore further solutions to this crisis with local partners.
Some activists said that banning Grindr would further marginalize the LGBTQ+ community.
"I don't think it's necessary (for Grindr) to be banned. That means heterosexual people can use these apps, and they can have good times and good moments finding love, but because you are queer or homosexual you can't," said kidnapping victim Mabezane. "There's a problem with equality there."
Johannesburg resident Sudik Karim, who spoke to Reuters while locking arms with his partner, sympathized with those who have lost loved ones due to kidnappings, but he shared positive experience from his online dating.
"It’s actually sad. We met on Facebook, which was also risky just as much as meeting on Grindr is. Fortunately it was love at first sight and it was actually legit so that’s good. Our condolences to the families of those who have lost or are missing, our hearts go out."
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