There was an update meeting between the various media houses and the Heidelberg SAPS on April 18.
At the briefing, Colonel Phiwe Ndwandwe, the Heidelberg SAPS station commander, touched on the burning issues of most concern.
The biggest concern was the hijackings in the area at the moment.
Ndwandwe said motorists should not offer lifts to hitchhikers, especially on the N3 highway.
Investigations revealed that most hijackings occurred after motorists picked up hitchhikers in Kwa-Zulu Natal en route to Gauteng.
When the SAPS find hitchhikers on the N3, they are arrested and fined. But it seems that is not enough of a deterrent.
The current trend is that motorists pick up the suspected hitchhikers near the Mooiriver, Warden and Harrismith areas.
When they near a specific area, a hitchhiker asks the driver to stop, saying they are at their location. When the driver stops, they are held up, and the car and driver’s belongings are stolen.
It seems the hijacked cars are usually taken to the Zonkezizwe, Kathlehong, area.
The vehicles’ tracker units are normally removed, and then the vehicles get taken out of the country.
The areas in which most hijackings occurred are Spookbrug, Kliplaagte Bridge, just after De Hoek Plaza, and various desolated areas.
The Heidelberg SAPS tries to prevent hijackings before they occur by doing sporadic patrols and stop-and-searches.
Ndwandwe said, “When you are involved in a carjacking, do not retaliate because the carjackers are usually heavily armed and will not hesitate to shoot. Try to remember as much as possible and report the crime to the nearest SAPS as soon as possible.
“There are currently hijacking and carjacking cases under investigation, and it has come to light that some of the reports were filed wrongfully.
“Any cases reported wrongfully will be prosecuted.”
