Hijackers are continuing to ramp up their activities in South Africa, and school and sporting events are one of the latest targets they have taken an interest in.
This is according to the most recent data compiled by Tracker’s Vehicle Crime Index, which shows a notable increase in hijackings, car theft, and other vehicle-related crimes between July and December 2023.
A concerning trend
Tracker’s crime data is recorded across every province in South Africa and is aggregated from more than 1.1 million user subscriptions.
The company compared its data to the crime statistics recorded by the South African Police Services (SAPS), and found that the two data sets run in parallel, reflecting a steady increase in vehicle crime from quarter one to quarter three in 2023, explained Tracker COO Duma Ngcobo.
In an interview with eNCA, Ngcobo noted that while shopping malls remain the primary hotspot for car theft in South Africa, there has been an alarming increase in sporting and schooling events being targeted by hijackers.
In recent months, there have been a few high-profile examples of this such as when a school principal in the Free State was kidnapped and held for ransom in December.
The kidnappers entered the school premises on the day when report cards were being distributed, as it was less suspicious for unknown adults to be on campus. They then attempted to hold the principal to ransom before stealing his Nissan NP200 bakkie.
Another case from 2023 resulted in a deputy principal from Durban being shot and injured during an attempted hijacking.
Sporting events, both at a school and national level, have also been a popular target for thieves, as large numbers of cars are left unattended for hours at a time.
Tracker highlighted that the majority of vehicle theft and hijacking cases tend to occur towards the end of the week, with Friday and Saturday being the most commonly reported days.
On Fridays, criminals tend to target individuals between 15h00 and 22h00, while on Saturdays, it’s between 11h00 and 15h00.
More generally, car thieves are most active during the hours of 16h00 to 20h00 when aggregated across every day of the week.
What is being targeted, and where
In late January, Fidelity Services produced a report where it flagged the seven most high-risk models for theft and hijackings, which are as follows:
- VW Polo
- Ford Ranger
- Nissan NP200
- Toyota RAV 4
- Toyota Corolla Cross
- Toyota Hilux GD-6 and D-4D
- Toyota Fortuner GD-6 and D-4D
The Toyota Corolla Cross and Rav4 are the newest additions to this list, which is the result of their popularity in the local motoring scene leading to a high demand for parts on both the legal and black market.
These cars are often stolen and scrapped for key components like their engines, but is it also estimated that as many as 30% of all stolen cars are being smuggled across the border to neighboring countries.
In keeping with the trend that shopping malls and schools are common hotspots for criminals, security companies have warned that the majority of hijackings occur close to a person’s residence or place of work, which has additionally resulted in petrol stations and drive-thrus becoming a target.
Looking at the country as a whole, Gauteng has the highest rate of vehicle crime with 61% of cases nationwide, followed by KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape at 14% and 9%, respectively.
Residents in the Northern Cape have also been warned about a recent criminal trend of hijackers posing as hitchhikers to rob those who stop to help, or posing as drivers themselves only to rob innocent hitchhikers at the side of the road.
Join the discussion