How organised crime syndicates fuel vehicle hijackings in South Africa
South Africa’s troubling trend of vehicle hijackings is symptomatic of a larger crisis where organised crime syndicates thrive on supply and demand. Hijackers target specific vehicles for a specific purpose and market demand.
Earlier this month, an Eskom employee was hijacked in Dlangubo, within the uMlalazi Local Municipality, and was subjected to an eight-hour ordeal.
The employee was abducted, and the work vehicle was hijacked and stripped of its parts. The employee was left traumatised.
Despite a slight dip in incidents reported during the festive season, Fidelity Services Group CEO Wahl Bartmann warns that numbers are projected to rise again and agrees that the overall number of hijackings is unacceptably high.
In the recent SAPS quarter (Q1 2024/25) crime statistics, the Eastern Cape saw a 30% increase, while the Western Cape experienced a 17% rise in hijackings, a notable year-on-year increase in hijackings.
Bartmann said the problem in South Africa is that sophisticated syndicates are operating throughout the country.
Juan Hanekom, national director of the South African Motor Body Repairers’ Association (SAMBRA), a proud association of the Retail Motor Industry Organisation (RMI), concurs.
“Most vehicles stolen by professional thieves have a high value and are never recovered, as they are either stripped for parts and the bodies dumped or re-birthed under new identities.
“These written-off vehicles provide the perfect cover for this illegal activity. The severely damaged vehicles are bought on auction to obtain code 2 registration documents which are then used to re-register stolen vehicles. The VIN and engine numbers on the stolen or hijacked vehicle are changed to match the ‘written off’ vehicles’ papers and the scrapped licence plates are used on the stolen car.
“For the unsuspecting buyer it is almost impossible to check the validity of his car papers,” Hanekom explained.
Bartmann said approximately a third of all stolen and hijacked vehicles are smuggled over South Africa’s borders every year, mostly up into Africa. The perpetrators smuggle the vehicles across legitimate border crossings, in addition to numerous illegal points along the borders.
“Especially bakkies and SUVs are smuggled over the borders due to a demand. The demand for bakkies and SUVs in other African countries is partially triggered by the poor condition of roads across the continent,” Bartmann said.
Bartmann provided the following safety tips for motorists:
- We urge motorists to be more observant while driving regardless of the type and colour of the vehicle you drive. Try to identify any suspicious vehicles that may be following you.
- When a vehicle is following you close to your home and/or when an unknown vehicle is parked close to your residence, drive past your house – drive to your nearest police station and alert your armed response company.
- Vehicle telematics systems like Fidelity Securedrive are effective tools to help recover your vehicle.
- Offer no resistance during a hijacking. Remember that perpetrators are always armed and would not hesitate to fire when confronted. Additional perpetrators may stand out of view and fire should you fight back.
- A hijacking can happen anywhere, any time. The best response is to be alert and aware of suspicious activity near you.
- Should you be hijacked, report the incident to your tracking company and the police immediately. The sooner you report the incident, the more likely your vehicle will be recovered.
thobeka.ngema@inl.co.za