Warning over new hijacking trend hitting South Africa’s largest province

The Hawks are warning that the Northern Cape has become a vulnerable target for hijacking syndicates.

The Priority Crime Investigation unit said there seems to be a syndicate involved in carjacking incidents under the guise of offering or asking for lifts on the side of the road – adding that carjacking incidents are increasing notably in some parts of the province.

“The warning comes after carjacking cases were recently registered at Hartswater SAPS, and similar cases were registered by Kuruman SAPS all in the same month. These could be the work of a syndicate operating in the two districts,” said spokesperson Nomthandazo Mnisi.

Mnisi has urged those who plan to hitchhike to do so in groups.

He explained that the incidents vary where, at one stage, it’s criminals pretending to be hitchhikers while in the other incidents, it’s hitchhikers being robbed by the criminals pretending to offer the lift with the sole intention of committing a crime by robbing passengers of their belongings.

Taxi operators in Kimberly have started operating in known areas where these incidents are taking place to help those who may be able to afford to pay a taxi fare instead of risking being robbed.

At the same time, the Hawks have warned motorists to avoid picking up hitchhikers.

Northern Cape police spokespersons have responded to the spikes in these crimes and said the department has noted the incidents and will be rolling out more preventative measures – such as random vehicle checkpoints, roadblocks, and vehicle and foot patrols in the targetted areas.

December trends

The festive season is the busiest time of the year for syndicates and opportunistic criminals, and recent data shows that the most common place of attack is still right outside the motorist’s home – in the driveway.

This is according to MiWay Insurance, which highlighted recently released statistics by Crime SA showing that an estimated 71% of South African car hijackings occur in residential driveways.

“Our internal data further reveals that most hijackings take place within a five-kilometre radius, mainly between 18h00 and 21h00, and that they rarely occur in the morning,” said Executive Head of Claims and Procurement at MiWay Insurance Youlon Naidoo.

Additionally, other experts warn that if you become a victim of hijacking or car theft, be vigilant after opening a case with the police, as some criminals are working with corrupt officers to steal even more from the victims.

According to CrimeWatch’s Yusuf Abramjee, the scammer will get the case information and phone the victim, claiming to be an official who has recovered the car; however, a fee must be paid for the vehicle to be towed to your location.

Popular vehicles

Prominent insurers and security companies – such as Santam and Fidelity ADT – have noted that vehicles targeted by criminals, such as bakkies, SUVs, and hatchbacks, are also the most popular among South African motorists.

Popular models among these vehicle types, which remain notorious favourites for criminals, include:

• Toyota Hilux, Fortuner, Prados, and Corollas
• Ford Rangers
• VW Polos
• Nissan NP200s

Read: Criminals have a new ‘high-value’ target in South Africa