Motorists warned of possible hijackings following death of alleged criminal

Security companies and the police in Pietermaritzburg say they are on high alert after messages warning about hijackings started circulating on social media on Tuesday evening.

While the authenticity of the messages has not been confirmed, police and security companies are on standby to respond to any incidents.

The WhatsApp messages are warning motorists to be careful as criminals may be hijacking cars and burning them in honour of a criminal who was shot dead recently.

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Sibongiseni “Hippo” Caluza (29), who was also a deejay, was shot and killed in KwaPata.

His body was found lying on the road next to the reservoir in the area on Tuesday morning.

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It is alleged that Caluza was involved in some of the house robberies that have been taking place in and around Imbali.

Since the news of his death broke, there have been messages circulating on WhatsApp urging people to be careful.

KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshuinda confirmed Caluza’s death.

He said that Caluza was found dead on Tuesday.

Police are investigating a case of murder and no one has been arrested.
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Regarding the circulating messages, Netshuinda said they do not have reported cases as yet, but police are on standby and ready to respond to anything.

It is alleged that the deceased was involved in house robberies around Plessislaer.
One of the messages read: “The thugs that were arrested due to their crimes were released. One of them was their boss by the name of Hippo, he was killed at KwaPata.

Now they’re busy hijacking cars and burning them in honour of their late boss. We are being warned [people] to be careful [and] stay safe!! [You’re] also encouraged to warn others.
Shaheen Suleiman, from Magma Security and Investigations, said they have seen the messages and they are on high alert, together with the police.

Those messages are definitely not a threat to us because if these criminals get out of hand we are going to arrest them.
Jonathan Govender, from AET Security, said they will be assisting the police in patrolling in the city and residential areas until Caluza’s funeral.

This after seeing threatening messages saying more vehicles will be burnt, he said.

I heard two cars were burnt on Tuesday and since then we’ve been hearing that more cars might be taken and burnt. This guy has been on a wanted list for a long time for armed robberies in the city.
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Plessislaer Community Policing Forum chairperson Sifiso Mavundla said they have seen the messages that are circulating, but they cannot confirm if they are true.

However, he urged people to be very cautious.

Usually when a notorious criminal dies, their friends hijack cars and burn them. It is believed that they do this to honour their friend. We are urging residents, especially those who are driving, to be very cautious and vigilant of their surroundings. They must also avoid driving alone at night.
He said he believes that what sparked the circulating messages was the torching of a car in Maqeleni on Tuesday.