Dating app abductions raise fears for LGBT+ safety in South Africa

A police officer looks on as suspects stand in the dock during a court appearance in connection with an 18-year-old student who was allegedly kidnapped in Johannesburg after engaging with someone on Grindr app, at the Johannesburg Magistrates Court in South Africa, November 15, 2023. REUTERS/Thando Hlophe/ File Photo

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Thabsie Mabezane, a transgender woman and LGBT+ activist in South Africa, was aware of personal safety when she met a man on the dating app Tinder earlier this year.

She told him that she preferred to meet up in a public space instead of at his home. But 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.