The number of vehicle spikings in South Africa is increasing at an alarming rate, and some provinces are worse affected than others.
While hijackings have always been one of the most prevalent road-related crimes in the country, the method of using spikes to damage a car’s tyres was relatively uncommon until around mid-2023 when the number of stories and reported cases went up drastically.
The majority of these incidents are reported in Gauteng, though the problem appears to be spreading to adjacent provinces with an uptick in reports from North West, Mpumalanga, Limpopo, and KwaZulu-Natal along popular routes.
Areas affected
Spiking attempts are most common on highways and other popular roads as this maximizes the criminals’ chance of catching a victim.
Motorists are also traveling at higher average speeds on these routes, which gives them less time to react when they see the hazard in the road.
Adding to this, spikings are usually done at night between 20h00 and 04h00 as the darkness helps to conceal the danger to oncoming vehicles.
All of this is reflected in the fact that Gauteng’s spiking hotspots are located along arterial routes, including the following:
- N1
- N3
- N4
- N12
- N17
- R21
- R562
- R59
- R80
- Ben Schoeman Road
The R21 in particular is a frequent target as it is the main road leading to O.R Tambo International and will often have motorists traveling to and from the airport in the late and early hours of the day.
It must be noted that the individuals committing these acts tend to move from one area to another to avoid the authorities who are performing more patrols in response to these events, according to Trellidor.
This is likely the reason why spiking reports are becoming more common outside of Gauteng, especially along national roads like the N1 and N4.
The Motor Industry Staff Association (Misa) recently identified several high-risk areas for criminal activity, one of which is the N1 between Pretoria and Polokwane in Limpopo.
The group also identified the N4 as a dangerous route for those driving between Mpumalanga and Pretoria, with the off-ramps at Solomon Mahlangu, Watermeyer, Bronkhorstspruit, and Balmoral all being common targets.
The Mpumalanga Provincial Traffic Department has advised motorists to travel during the day and to better plan their trips, as reported by ENCA.
Similarly, the N4 has seen a rise in spiking cases in North West, especially in the Bojanala Platinum district towards Rustenburg.
The North West government has responded to these incidents with an increase in patrols along the worst-affected roads, though it was noted that the problem may actually be more severe than it appears as not all spiking cases are reported to the police, said SAPS spokesperson Sabata Mokgwabone.
As for the N3, the majority of spikings thus far appear to be limited to Gauteng between Leondale and Heidelberg.
However, residents in KwaZulu-Natal should be aware that the N2 has become a target as well, with one incident taking place on the N2 northbound between the M19 and Queen Nandi Drive in May, as per IOL.
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