South African Trial Over Student’s Kidnapping Through Gay App Grindr Postponed Again
On October 27, 2026, a Johannesburg court in South Africa again postponed the trial of seven men accused of kidnapping a student allegedly lured to a meeting through the gay dating app Grindr. As MambaOnline reported on October 28, proceedings at the magistrate’s court are scheduled to resume on January 27, 2027.
According to the publication, the latest delay gives one defendant’s lawyer time to review transcripts of earlier hearings. The case had already been postponed in September following a change of counsel. The seven men face charges of kidnapping, extortion, attempted murder and theft; the trial remains ongoing.
The case concerns events in September 2023. Prosecutors allege that the University of the Witwatersrand student was taken to Denver Hostel, tied up and assaulted while his family received ransom demands. A government statement dated November 10, 2023 confirmed that police rescued an 18-year-old student and arrested seven suspects in an operation against a group targeting LGBT dating-app users.
The defence has challenged some of the evidence. As The Citizen reported on May 7, 2026, lawyers sought to exclude the results of an identification parade, citing possible procedural flaws. Police officers who testified maintained that they had followed established protocols.
Parents, Families & Friends of South African Queers (PFSAQ), an organisation supporting LGBT people’s loved ones whose representatives attended the October hearing, said repeated postponements placed emotional strain on the survivor and his family. In a statement quoted by MambaOnline, it called for timely proceedings while stressing respect for due process.
Uránia previously reported on the conviction of a man in London who used fake social-media and Grindr profiles to blackmail gay men concealing their sexual orientation.
