Why they called him 'Dollar Man': Kingpin kidnapper's modus operandi explained
António Francisco “Dollar Man” Macamamo was shot dead in Kempton Park during a police operation that also freed a kidnapped Indian businessman in Alexandra.Mozambique’s
Image: National Criminal Investigation Service (SERNIC) / IOL
IOL can exclusively reveal that António Francisco Macamamo, better known by his alias Dollar Man or just Dollar, lived up to his nicknames in ways that terrified families across southern Africa.
He was one of Mozambique’s most wanted criminals, a man whose reputation for demanding ransoms in United States dollars became the mark of a shadowy career in transnational organised crime.
Macamamo was shot dead in Kempton Park, Gauteng province, on Wednesday evening during a police operation that also freed a kidnapped Indian businessman being held in Alexandra. The Mozambican's death has shone a spotlight on one of the most elusive figures in the region’s underworld.
In an interview with IOL, a high-placed source in Maputo described Macamamo as "one of the most wanted people by the criminal investigation police and identified as a top kidnapper."
For years, Mozambican authorities had Macamamo high on their most wanted list for a string of high-profile kidnappings for ransom, often targeting wealthy business figures.
In Gauteng, a renowned security expert told IOL that Dollar Man cut his teeth working for Mozambique’s most notorious murderer Momade Assife Abdul Satar, better known as Nini Satar, who died in prison last year.
"Dollar realised that kidnapping brought in a lot of money and decided to build his own network. He was ruthless and dangerous, even to journalists," the source said.
According to some security sources, Macamamo demanded that ransoms be paid strictly in US dollars — a strict condition that earned him the nickname Dollar Man. The greenback is widely accepted as currency in several African countries, including Mozambique and Zimbabwe, making it the preferred currency for cross-border syndicates.
António Francisco “Dollar Man” Macamamo was shot dead in Kempton Park during a police operation that also freed a kidnapped Indian businessman in Alexandra.
Image: SERNIC
Police believe Macamamo had close links with specialised syndicates operating on both sides of the border, making him a central figure in what investigators describe as a "transnational organised crime syndicate man."
South African Police Service (SAPS) national spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe confirmed that Dollar Man was wanted for at least five kidnapping-for-ransom cases in South Africa, in addition to crimes including housebreaking, carjacking, and possession of illegal firearms.
Mathe said the high-stakes Gauteng rescue of the Indian businessman forms part of SAPS’s sustained crackdown on kidnapping syndicates.
"From July 2021 to date, more than 337 kidnappers have been arrested by the SAPS anti-kidnapping task team and more than 146 illegal firearms have been seized in these operations," Mathe said.
"In the past week alone, police arrested over 14,700 suspects for various crimes, and seized 163 illegal firearms during Operation Shanela."
For now, Dollar Man’s reign is over. But his death leaves lingering questions about how many other criminal lieutenants in the region might be ready to step into his shoes.
IOL will update this story when more information is found.
jonisayi.maromo@iol.co.za
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