Durban — Ruthless hijackers care nothing for human life and will stop at nothing to get what they want.
They also have “spotters” watching the movements of potential victims.
Motorists are being kidnapped so hijackers can disable tracking devices and force them to give criminals access to banking details.
The Fidelity Services Group says the motorists are also kidnapped to delay calls for help to authorities.
Fidelity’s communications and marketing head, Charnel Hattingh, told the Independent on Saturday that most hijackers targeted victims at, or close to, their homes and places of work. She said their information showed that motorists were most likely to be hijacked on Tuesday or Friday evenings.
Marius Cloete, the managing director at Anti-Hijacking and Policing SA, a non-profit that works with the police to investigate and stop crime, said hijackers were not afraid to use violence and it was important for your survival to co-operate with them.
“Don’t fight, give them what they want,” he said.
“We had a couple of incidents where they actually took the people hostage. Then they ask for their pensions or they will clear out their bank accounts and then drop them off somewhere. These guys are really ruthless, they don’t care about human life.”
Cloete said that while it seemed as if hijacking was increasing, it depended on the “market“ and what their ”clients“ were looking for. He said a hijacker could make about R50 000 for a car when it crossed the border and the person on the other side would then sell the vehicle for half its actual value.
He warned that hijackers got their information from various “spotters” – from the person begging at the robots to corrupt police officials who keep an eye out for the kind of vehicles a hijacker wants. They could pass on information about a car that passed a certain spot at a fixed time every day. He said nothing was random and a lot of research was done on a potential victim’s habits.
While the police have yet to release crime statistics for the first quarter of 2024, the latest data from Fidelity showed there were 21 incidents of hijacking in their “footprint” in KZN between January and June this year; 15 hijackings and 6 attempted hijackings.
According to the official police statistics, the number of carjacking incidents increased across eight provinces in 2022/2023, with only Mpumalanga province recording a decrease of 13.4% or 196 cases.
“The highest percentage increases were in the Northern Cape (65.2% or 15 counts) and Eastern Cape (39% or 524 counts). Gauteng (49.5% or 11 248 counts) and KwaZulu-Natal (16.4% or 3 731 counts) recorded the highest volume of these incidents, contributing 65.9% or 14 979 counts combined.”
In KZN, uMlazi and Bhekithemba were the two areas where hijackings were most prevalent and they were also on the top 30 list countrywide.
Hattingh said that traditionally vehicle hijackings were largely a business driven by “demand and supply”.
She said the top five vehicles targeted in Fidelity’s footprint in suburbs and areas in KZN, in no particular order, were white Nissan Almera, white VW Polo, white Toyota Hi-Ace, white Nissan NP200 and grey, blue and white Toyota Corollas.
Hattingh says other high-risk vehicles such as Toyota Hilux, Toyota Fortuner, Toyota Prado, Toyota Landcruiser and Ford Ranger, were largely still stolen and taken across South Africa’s borders to markets in neighbouring countries.
Layton Beard of the AA said hijacking was a “crime of opportunity”.
“It is vehicle-dependent and so it will all depend on the type of vehicle they’re looking for. What we found in the trends bears out that it’s make and model specific, dependent on what their clients are looking for.”
Beard urged motorists to avoid known hijacking “hot spots”, to be vigilant while driving and look around to see if there is any strange activity.
“Be aware of your surroundings.”
He said there were devices like a panic button that can fit onto a key ring, on your belt or around your neck.
“It’s a hand-held device which, at the press of a button, will dispatch the closest armed security provider to your location to assist you. So if you push it you may have somebody at your location within five minutes.”
Most experts say it is important to vary your route so criminals struggle to keep track of your movements. Vehicle tracking company Cartrack which claims a 90% recovery rate, offers these safety tips on its website:
• Driveway hijackings: Victims can become a target in their driveway when they are waiting for the gate to open or close, which allows criminals to box them in when they are entering or exiting their property.
• The blockage method: Hijackers ambush unsuspecting motorists or even delivery persons in drive-throughs of fast food establishments, where they have little room for escape and are forced to comply with demands. There are usually two vehicles involved. One car will be in front of a motorist, and another car will be behind them to block them from reversing. Armed suspects from the car in front will try to force the motorist out of their car and then drive away.
• The “tap tap” trap: Criminals will deliberately drive into or “tap” the back of your car in traffic. Motorists are hijacked when they get out to assess the damage.
• The good Samaritan: Perpetrators convince targets at traffic lights that something is wrong with their vehicle. The hijackers make their move when the victim gets out to see what’s “wrong”.
• The imposter method or fake “blue light”: Perpetrators will pose as officials to get motorists to pull over on the road or to grant them access to their properties, home or business.
Independent on Saturday