The City of Cape Town has become a hotspot for carjackings according to crime statistics released by the South African Police Service.
The statistics show the Harare and Nyanga police stations recorded the most number of incidents between July and September, the second quarter of the 2023/24 financial year.
The stats show 114 people were carjacked in Harare and 82 in Nyanga.
Protea station in Johannesburg, Gauteng, was the third most likely place to have your vehicle hijacked, with 81 reported cases for the same period.
Gauteng and the Western Cape police stations had the top 10 positions of the top 30 stations list for car-jackings.
– Gauteng accounted for six stations in the top ten, while the Western Cape had four.
– Out of the top 30 stations for carjackings, Gauteng accounted for 16.
For the reporting period, Protea police station recorded a 120% increase in the number of car-jackings, while Moroka police station - in fourth position on the top 30 list, recorded an 80% increase.
Sedans, hatchbacks and coupé’s are the most sought after by South African criminals, with police recording 2,841 hijacked between July and September.
– Bakkies and panel vans are targeted by car thieves, with 1,878 being hijacked for the same period.
– Two trucks over 3.5 tons and 15 buses were also carjacked during this period.
Four provinces recorded a drop in the number of carjackings, namely KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape, Free State, Limpopo and the Western Cape.
KZN, Eastern Cape and the Free State, however, did see a sharp increase in the number of truck hijackings during this period.
From July to September, 48 trucks were hijacked in KZN, 18 from the Free State and 60 from the Eastern Cape.
Despite recording a 13.4% decrease in the number of trucks hijacked during this period, Gauteng recorded 290 hijackings.
Gauteng accounts for more than 50% of the country’s truck hijackings, the police said.
IOL