Case against trio linked to kidnapping, extorting gay men in CT postponed to June
The trio is accused of luring gay men under false pretence on the dating app Grindr.
Suspects of the 'Grindr Gang', an alleged kidnapping syndicate targeting gay men. Picture: Ntuthuzelo Nene/Eyewitness News
CAPE TOWN - The case against three men linked to the kidnapping and extortion of gay men in Cape Town has once again been postponed by the Cape Town Magistrates Court to 6 June.
The trio is accused of luring gay men under false pretence on the dating app Grindr.
The trio was arrested in June 2024 after being linked to the kidnapping of a 50-year-old man in Woodstock.
Mlungisi Mbutu, Bongani Zulu, and Zwelakhe Ngwenya made a brief appearance at the Cape Town Magistrates Court via video link from prison.
The trio from Soweto in Gauteng is suspected of being involved in a string of robberies involving gay men on Grindr.
It’s alleged that they would entice unsuspecting victims, kidnap them, then extort money from them or their families.
The incidents allegedly took place in Woodstock, Cape Town CBD, Camps Bay, Durbanville, and Brackenfell.
The State intends adding at least 20 new cases of money laundering, on top of the kidnapping and extortion charges they face.