Vehicle hijacking remains a major scourge in South Africa, with around 60 occurring each day, but cooperation between police and the private sector is bringing some perpetrators to book.
On November 13, police in KwaZulu-Natal managed to foil a carjacking syndicate that was targeting e-hailing vehicles in the Durban CBD.
After receiving information about a planned hijacking in the Newlands West area, police conducted an intelligence-driven operation, which led to them identifying and apprehending suspects on Inanda Road, according to Arrive Alive.
Police recovered an illegal pistol with a filed-off serial number as well as a magazine and two rounds of ammunition.
Meanwhile Johannesburg on Monday, police, together with the Gauteng Traffic Department and a tracking company, foiled a carjacking that had taken place in the Braamfischerville area.
Following a report that a white Toyota Quantum had been hijacked, police put out an alert, which led to the vehicle being spotted near Lenasia with three occupants in it.
A vehicle chase ensued, with the Quantum eventually being driven into the veld, but police managed to apprehend two of the suspects while the third escaped.
Police found an unlicensed firearm and three live rounds of ammunition. The victim was found unharmed.
Gauteng remains South Africa’s main carjacking hotspot, accounting for 48% of all cases nationally, with 5,163 incidents reported in the first six months of 2024. It was followed by the Western Cape, with 1,613 carjackings, and KwaZulu-Natal, at 1,512, with the former seeing a 17% increase in the second quarter.
Hijackings are most likely to occur on Fridays, and criminals are targeting popular vehicle models, such as the Ford Ranger, Nissan NP200, Toyota Hilux and Volkswagen Polo, among others.
IOL