Driving one’s dream car in South Africa can often come with all sorts of nightmares, for many the sweet reward of experiencing a luxurious drive purchased with hard-earned money can result in a tearful experience.
The reason for this is because of the high levels of crime citizens hide themselves from with each day that passes by. Among the many top crimes like murder, attempted murder, and robberies, which are currently crippling our economy and preventing citizens from experiencing the full freedom that we as a nation are supposed to have – are hijackings.
In a recent report released by the South African Police Service’s (SAPS) crime statistics department, data shows that a whopping 5447 carjackings took place in the second quarter of last year. In addition to this, the number of truck hijacks that took place around the same period was 459. Despite this being a slight decrease, compared to 2023 and 2022, the effect that this has on the lives of individuals can be a traumatic one.
The insurance company, Pineapple, states that hijackers have now come up with various methods to ambush motorists and steal their cars.
Some of the more common trends include:
The follow-home plot: They follow victims from a nearby shopping complex/garage all the way home and just when you are about to pull into your garage, they strike.
Good Samaritan: They point out that something may be wrong with your vehicle or its tyres to get you to pull over.
Blue light: Impersonating police or traffic officers to pull you over.
Meanwhile, some vehicles have now been identified as being extremely common targets on our national roads.
According to the car company, Cars.co.za, these are the commonly targeted vehicles of hijackers:
- Toyotas (Hilux, Fortuner, Carolla, Land Cruiser and Carolla Cross)
- Ford Ranger
- Volkswagen Polo
- Haval H6
- Cherry Tigo
- Hyundai i20
- BMW 3 series
Also see: Important fact checks to do when getting car insurance
