Gone in 60 minutes: Hijackers strip Toyota Hilux…with owner ‘attached’

A Folweni man’s day turned into a nightmare ordeal when he stepped outside his home to get into his Toyota Hilux last Tuesday morning.

The unsuspecting victim was taken with his bakkie by the armed suspects to the KwaFakazi area, south of Durban, where he was tied up.

According to ET Rapid Response managing director Tony Lokker, the security company’s tactical response team was mobilised alongside Matrix to conduct a ground search after information was received of a Toyota Hilux being stripped by suspects.

Hijacked Toyota Hilux ‘severely stripped in an hour’

“Upon the suspects noticing the team approaching, they fled into dense bushes. When our members found the Toyota Hilux, the victim was found still tied to the bin of the bakkie. The victim was freed before the situation could escalate.

“The vehicle was found to be severely stripped—in a matter of an hour,” Lokker added.

The scene was handed over to the police.

Hijacking horror: Five-year-old killed while welcoming dad home

According to Fidelity Services Group, Toyota Hilux bakkies are one of the most-hijacked vehicles in South Africa.

Last month, the five-year-old Ditebogo Phalane Jnr was fatally wounded when his father’s Toyota Hilux was hijacked outside their home in Soshanguve, north of Pretoria.

According to police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Mavela Masondo, the little boy ran outside to welcome his father, Ditebogo Phalane, when he arrived home.

“An unconfirmed number of armed suspects allegedly hijacked the father’s white Toyota Hilux bakkie and shot the five-year-old boy, who later died in hospital,” Masondo said.

ALSO READ: Rush-hour ‘shopping’? Smash-and-grab alert for Gauteng motorists

Hijackings in South Africa

Fidelity Services Group CEO Wahl Bartmann said vehicle hijackings are largely a business driven by demand and supply on the black market.

Bartmann added that about 30% of stolen and hijacked vehicles were taken across the border into neighbouring countries, such as Mozambique.

The crime statistics for the period of October 2021 to September 2022 revealed that a whopping R4.9 billion worth of vehicles are taken across the border every year.

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