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Criminal syndicates stripping cars in 10 minutes – Where they operate

Car thieves are becoming incredibly efficient in South Africa, as criminals can locate any trackers or strip the vehicle for parts in less than 10 minutes.

There have been a string of vehicle thefts in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) over the last month, which the authorities believe to be the work of syndicates trying to smuggle cars across the border into Mozambique.

Criminals prefer stripping stolen vehicles of their parts as demand for cheap, readily-available components is very high on the black market and the pieces are far easier to hide and harder to trace than entire cars.

Syndicates working in KZN

Several high-end vehicles were reported stolen in a single weekend in late June in KZN, which have likely been taken out of the country, according to Prem Balram, the head of Reaction Unit South Africa (Rusa).

The criminal syndicates behind the smuggling operations tend to target vehicles in the central business districts of the province’s larger cities, including Durban, Pietermaritzburg, oTongathi, and Verulam.

The modus operandi is to steal cars in the late afternoon, as it becomes much more difficult for the South African Police Services (SAPS) and tracking companies to locate vehicles with their helicopters once it gets dark.

Car smuggling is such a prevalent issue in KZN that a national police task team was deployed to the northern parts of the province in February 2023, which has since resulted in 276 suspects being arrested, 107 of which are still in custody, said SAPS spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe.

More than 150 vehicles that were stolen or hijacked have also been recovered in this period, comprised of 93 SUVs and other 4x4s, and 57 sedans, reported The Witness.

Illustrating the voracity of the crime, a cross-border vehicle hijacker and smuggler was sentenced to 53 years’ imprisonment in June 2024.

The Mtubatuba Magistrate’s Court sentenced 37-year-old Sipho “Smirnoff” Mhlanga after he was linked to a criminal syndicate responsible for smuggling stolen and hijacked vehicles from South Africa across the border to Mozambique.

He has been in custody since August 2023 and was found guilty on 10 counts of charges including murder, aggravated robbery, and kidnapping.

Failed attempt to smuggle a stolen SUV across the South African border using makeshift steel bridges

A huge operation

Cross-border car smuggling is such a lucrative venture that criminal groups are effectively taking over smaller villages close to the border in Mpumalanga and KZN.

In areas where a wire fence is used to mark the border, the smugglers typically cut sections in the fence as frequently as every 10 metres to make it easier to move stolen goods without detection.

At other times, the criminals simply remove the front bumper to minimize damage before ramming through the fencing.

Other stretches of the border use concrete barriers to mark the divide and make it harder for cars to be transported, but thieves have been caught using makeshift steel ramps to try and drive the vehicles over the blockade.

South Africa has invested a total of R270.9 million towards a multi-stage border project intended to combat smuggling efforts to and from other countries.

The first stage has been completed and covers a 50km stretch between KZN and Mozambique, while the second phase will commence on 30 September 2024 and focuses on a 540km section of the border between South Africa and Eswatini.

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