Hijackers in South Africa most frequently target Fords, Nissans, Toyotas, and VWs due to these vehicles being in high demand on the black market.
According to Fidelity Services Group’s Charnel Hattingh, carjackings are “largely a business driven by demand and supply” – as such, criminals target vehicles from particular brands for a specific purpose and market.
The security firm previously highlighted that several models in the country are frequently taken from their owners whether through theft or hijacking, all of which are produced by one of these four manufacturers.
These include the:
- VW Polo
- Ford Ranger
- Nissan NP200
- Toyota RAV4
- Toyota Corolla Cross
- Toyota Hilux GD-6 and D-4D
- Toyota Fortuner GD-6 and D-4D
Whereas culprits like the Fortuner and Hilux are mostly stolen for their engines, Fidelity said that the Corolla Cross and RAV4 are primarily taken across the border into neighbouring countries presumably because they are well-equipped to handle African roads.
The company said that approximately 30% of all stolen and hijacked vehicles last year were taken across the South African border.
Additionally, Fidelity noted that syndicates have shown increased interest in hijacking commercial vehicles and trucks as they often carry valuable cargo, such as the Hyundai H-100 which companies regularly use as a last-mile delivery vehicle.
However, it’s important to mention that these high-risk models are not the only cars in the crosshairs of hijackers. Anyone on the road remains at risk, whether they drive a Ferrari or a Bajaj Qute.
Hijacking hotspots in South Africa
The latest crime statistics released by the South African Police revealed that hijackings across the country rose by 365 reports in the third quarter of the 2023/2024 period to a total of 5,973 incidents.
The astronomical figure means that at least 65 vehicles were reported as hijacked in South Africa every single day between October and December 2023.
The vast majority of these crimes occurred in Gauteng with the province seeing a staggering 3,010 reports over this period, followed by the Western Cape at 856, and KwaZulu-Natal at 834.
Across all nine provinces in the country, these were the areas in which the most hijackings were recorded:
| Province | Area | Carjackings reported in Q3 2023/2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Gauteng | Ivory Park | 93 |
| Western Cape | Philippi East | 89 |
| KwaZulu-Natal | Umlazi | 56 |
| Eastern Cape | New Brighton | 52 |
| Mpumalanga | Vosman | 41 |
| North West | Mooinooi | 24 |
| Limpopo | Namakgale | 16 |
| Free State | Bloemspruit | 10 |
| Northern Cape | Kuruman | 2 |
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