I never said that South Africa has no crime and is the safest place in the world but then again if you look at the available data as you said then neither is the US (regardless of which source you use). I would agree with news outlets giving the police a little time but he reportedly went missing 10 days ago. If you understood the dynamics of the South African media you would know that they would relish the opportunity to report on a story that could negatively impact on the World Cup, it is just the nature of our media. They have already reported many stories saying the stadia won't be ready so protecting the World Cup is not on the agenda

 

Those of us who know Gemballa know that he is not some con artist or Bernie Madoff type. He is a talented man of dignity and character who has followed his passion for nearly 30 years.
Even if you don't care for his designs, I challenge you to find a single post on any forum where someone even alleges that he has taken advantage of them.

Yes, he's my friend, and I am worried sick about him. I am also really pissed that so many people are in denial about his situation, find sick humor in the matter, or seize any bit of data (like the authorities showing up routinely at his business) and immediately want to discredit him.

I even received negative feedback from members of this forum for standing up for him. Very sad.

What does a guy have to do to get the benefit of the doubt? If Uwe Gemballa doesn't have enough cred in this industry after nearly 30 years, there's no hope for any of us.

 

Why does the local media work to paint the country an a negative light, or is it just the world cup?

Please explain...

I'm a bit ignorant to this topic.

 

Kinda a complicated issue. I won't say they go out of their way to be negative but there are definitely elements that highlight negativity. Reasons could be racial or political (I can't speak for them). South Africa has already successfully hosted the Cricket and Rugby World Cups without major incident. I know football is the biggest sport in the world but there is no reason to think this World Cup will be different. The point I was trying to make earlier is that any issue that could possibly affect the World Cup is huge news in SA. I know Mr. Gemballa has a lot of friends here so I will stop posting in this thread out of respect as long as long as people stop posting kidnapping accusations without a link from a reputable news source like cnn or sky

 

With the greatest respect to your loyalty to South Africa, your country reported over 3000 kidnappings and 20,000 murders last year.
There were 16000 murders in the USA, a country with 6 times the population.

Denial is not a river in Northern Africa.

From Wikipedia:
"Crime is a prominent issue in South Africa. South Africa has a high rate of murders, assaults, rapes, and other crimes compared to most countries. Many emigrants from South Africa state that crime was a big factor in their decision to leave.
Statistics
A survey for the period 1998–2000 compiled by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime ranked South Africa second for assault and murder (by all means) per capita and first for rapes per capita.[2] Total crime per capita is 10th out of the 60 countries in the dataset. Note that these statistics only compare statistics from approximately 60 countries (typically better-developed countries) and many of the remaining countries of the world will have higher rates of violent crime — though these are usually unmeasured, disputed or uncomparable. The UN statistics also contain some flaws (e.g. gun crime in South Africa[3]).
South Africa also has a bad record for car hijackings when compared to industrialised countries largely associated with the lower rate of car ownership. One South African insurance company, Hollard Insurance, no longer insures Volkswagen Citi Golfs as they are one of the most frequently hijacked vehicles in South Africa.[4] In some areas there are road signs that indicate a high car-jack zone.[5]
A recent new trend in South Africa is for thieves to enter restaurants and rob the patrons eating there. In July 2008, the Restaurant Association of South Africa (RASA) was forced to raise the security classification of the capital's (Johannesburg) restaurants to "caution areas". The RASA said since January, 15 people have been killed in 687 attacks carried out on RASA members' businesses."
Sorry for the long post.

 

Wikipedia is not a scholarly source, but I’m sure the information on it is backed with some kind of primary source of information which directly correlates and links the statistics to the truth behind the country. 99% of the time the information on Wikipedia is correct and backed with some kind of statistic proven evidence. South Africa isn’t some place you want to be hanging out unless you utmost have to do business. I don’t know Gemballa, but I’ve seen his designs and they are strictly brilliant. Let’s all hope he safely returns home.

 

I spoke with a manager at the Gemballa facility in Leonberg, Germany at 1330 hours today German time. The facility is open for business, no cars have been seized or impounded and Mrs. Gemballa is running the company in her husband's absence.
My company is a Gemballa supplier and so far everything is normal as it relates to the business.

Uwe is still missing but now no one seems to be sure about his safety, or if he is even alive.
I apologize that more information is not available. I do know that German and South African Authorities as well as Interpol are working hard to find him and return him to his family.

I will post again anytime credible information becomes available.

 

Very sorry to hear what's happening and wish the best to Mr. Gemballa. I pray that he is safe and will return home that way. Thanks for the updates

Edwin

 

The Stuttgart German newspaper Bild has now reported that Uwe Gemballa is being held for a ransom of 1 million Euros.

http://www.bild.de/BILD/regional/stu...loesegeld.html

This is a very sad day. We must all pray for his safe return.

 

If he does a lot of business in South Africa, he may have Kidnap and Ransom insurance. Hopefully it is now just a matter of the insurance negotiating his release. The Gemballa designs of the 1980s and 1990s are probably what made me most fall in love with Porsches. Like others, I hope for his safe return.

 

I hope that he will be safe and will return home soon.

 

Any updates guys?

 

Bump for updates

 

WOW... Mr. Gemballa is missing for almost over 2 months and no one has any info?

 

I just heard of this for the first time today! This is terrible news.
I wish for the safe return of Mr. Gemballa. I hope everything is OK.