Bakkies and hatchbacks are among the most targeted vehicles for hijackers and thieves in South Africa, and they are wanted for similar reasons.
Generally speaking, vehicle crime is driven by the principle of supply and demand.
Many legitimate motorists struggle to afford expensive new parts sold by original equipment manufacturers which forces them to seek other avenues to get their cars repaired.
While they may not actively sniff out stolen parts, they do look for cheaper suppliers who in turn are usually the nefarious ones who purchase thieved items from chop shops and syndicates.
Likewise, new vehicles are oftentimes prohibitively expensive in poorer African nations, creating an opportunity for criminals to smuggle stolen autos across international lines and sell them at a more affordable rate to citizens of their home country.
South African syndicates therefore realise the need for a particular model, or a component of said model, and then set out to thieve the vehicle through any means necessary.
The cars in highest demand on the black market tend to correspond with models that are sought after in the legitimate market, and bakkies and hatchbacks reign supreme on both these fronts.
While they are vastly different kinds of vehicles, they are targeted by criminals for much the same reason.
“Your bakkies may be for local [customers] or parts, as well as cross-border crime,” Duma Ngcobo, COO of vehicle telematics company Tracker, told eNCA.
“Your hatchback vehicles tend to be for the South African market either as a wholesale vehicle being bought as a stolen item, or again distributed as parts.”
Most and least hijacked vehicle body types in South Africa from April to June 2024. Source: SAPS
High-risk models
Over the last 12 months Fidelity has identified 13 high-risk vehicles that criminals have shown a growing interest toward, including:
- Ford Ranger
- Hyundai i20
- Nissan Almera
- Nissan NP200
- Toyota Corolla Cross
- Toyota Corolla
- Toyota Etios
- Toyota Fortuner (GD6 and D4D)
- Toyota Hilux (GD6 and D4D)
- Toyota Prado
- Toyota Land Cruiser
- Toyota RAV4
- VW Polo
Of particular significance is that all of these models – with the exception of the Almera, Corolla Corss, Fortuner, Prado, and RAV4 – are either a hatchback or bakkie.
The majority of them also sits on the country’s best-sellers charts on a regular basis.
Car parts are in equally high demand as the vehicles themselves, with the value of illegal car part trading in South Africa estimated to be worth around R442 million a year.
The most-targeted components tend to be airbags, batteries, headlights, hubcaps, side mirrors, rims, sound equipment, tailgates, tyres, and wiper blades.
Sometimes, a whole vehicle is stolen to be stripped for parts, while at other times, criminals will target a model in a public location and pull off whatever components they can get their hands on as quickly as possible.
South Africa’s car thieves have demonstrated that they are capable of removing all four wheels in under five minutes, disconnecting the airbags and tailgate in less than two minutes, and lifting the battery in a single minute.
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