The notorious “Big Five” cartel, which the South African police alleges specializes in drug trafficking and contract killings, is also implicated in a series of brazen cases of abductions, intimidations and extortions.
The sophisticated crime syndicate has been allegedly involved in the kidnappings and abductions of prominent business figures and their families in exchange for ransoms.
The underworld mafiosi were linked to the 2022 kidnapping case of Nkangala District Municipality manager Maggie Skhosana, the 2024 incidents of Nqobile Dikgale and her son, as well as the disappearance of Pretoria businessman Jerry Boshoga.
The alleged kidnapping operations, described by law enforcement officials as ruthless and cruel, point to a criminal enterprise that is leveraging its alleged infiltration of state institutions to operate with impunity.
Pressed for comment on the gang’s alleged involvement in kidnappings and extortions, police national spokesperson Brig Athlenda Mathe said she was unable to venture into details because their investigations into these cases are at a sensitive stage.
“All matters referred to are under investigation. We cannot comment or divulge any information at this stage as investigations have reached a sensitive stage,” she said.
Dikgale and her nine-year-old son were abducted after leaving the Copperleaf Golf and Country Estate in Centurion, Gauteng, in November last year. The Dikgale family secured their release after paying an undisclosed ransom, according to people privy to the investigation.
“We got the brief. They got intelligence that the husband has money, and that is why they targeted the wife and son. And they knew that he would cooperate,” said the insider.
“The best way if they target you is to remain stubborn and refuse to be threatened. You give them nothing,” said the person, adding that on the upside, after playing safe and paying the ransom, Dikgale was “jubilant” about the revelations in the Madlanga commission over the past few weeks.
The Copperleaf abduction has been linked to a separate kidnapping, a few days later, of Boshoga, a 45-year-old Pretoria businessman and farmer who was abducted in Centurion.
His family was shown graphic videos of him being beaten, with a ransom demand of R60-million, later reduced to R10-million. Boshoga is still missing, but police recently said investigations were at a sensitive stage, suggesting that arrests were imminent. The kidnappings are believed by police to be connected to a financial dispute between Boshoga and Ranti Dikgale, Nqobile’s husband.
In the Mpumalanga case, Skhosana and her driver, Gugu Mtsweni, were abducted in October 2022 by men posing as police officers. Their vehicle and Skhosana’s wheelchair were later found abandoned near a mine.
A ransom of R5-million was demanded for their release.
“The dispute in Mpumalanga was about a tender. They were not happy with the company that was awarded the tender and blamed the municipal manager. So, their strategy was to recover what they lost in the procurement process through ransom,” according to a person familiar with the case. It is understood that the ransom was paid to the “Big Five” to secure the release of the victims.
The operations of the “Big Five” are the subject of the high-profile Madlanga Commission of Inquiry into Corruption within the South African Police Service. Testimony has linked Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala, an alleged kingpin, directly to the Boshoga case.
In a raid on Matlala’s mansion on December 6, 2024, police allegedly discovered a distinctive, torn white sheet that matched the one visible in the ransom videos of Boshoga. A domestic worker told police that Matlala had provided the sheet for use as a curtain. However, the raid failed to locate Boshoga.
“Witness C” told the commission that Matlala had been tipped off by Sergeant FE Nkosi, an officer working in a senior detective’s office about their investigation into his suspected involvement in the cartel.
Following his arrest on separate charges, including the attempted murder of his former girlfriend, Tebogo Thobejane, Matlala allegedly implicated senior police officials, including a deputy national commissioner, and gasconaded about his influence on them and a multi-million rand SAPS contract.
Lt-Gen Dumisani Khumalo, head of crime intelligence, has testified that Matlala is a central figure in the “Big Five”.
The commission has heard evidence that the cartel has deeply infiltrated law enforcement and politicians. “They are popping their names one by one at the commission. I saw this coming. It is still going to get interesting.”
