Tollgate hijacking did not occur in Limpopo, say police

Police in Limpopo have dismissed reports that the hijacking shown in a video that is circulating on social media, took place at Nyl Plaza.

The video, shared on 23 December, shows the driver of a white car paying at the tollgate, waiting for the boom gate to open and driving away from the cashier, but stopping where the boom gate won’t be able to close.

Three men then get out of the white motor vehicle and approach another vehicle that stopped behind them and commit what looks like a robbery or hijacking.

Video ‘seems’ authentic

According to police, the hijacking is said to have taken place at the Nyl Plaza tollgate, which is not the case.

“Immediately after the clip started circulating on social media, the Provincial Commissioner of Police in Limpopo Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe ordered a probe to establish if any such incident took place as purported,” said Brigadier Motlafela Mojapelo in a statement on Sunday.

“The incident did not take place at Nyl Plaza tollgate nor at any of the tollgates that are situated in Limpopo Province. Although the video clip seems authentic, it definitely did not take place in the Province. All police stations under whose precincts the four toll gates resort, did not receive any report of a carjacking.”

ALSO READ: Toyota rolls out new, free safety tech to curb hijackings – see if your car qualifies

According to Mojapelo, even if it was a case of the victim not reporting the incident, the structural set up shown on the video clip is “definitely not Nyl Plaza”.

“The N1 is one of the busiest roads that pass through the Province and we, together with other law enforcement agencies, have heightened our deployments along this road, especially during this Festive period. Officers deployed next to these toll gates could not have missed such a serious incident,” said Lieutenant General Hadebe.

Tollgate security

Meanwhile, Sanral has condemned all criminal activity on the road network.

It said it was working with the police to shed light on the hijacking at a toll plaza.

“All toll plazas are under 24-hour security camera surveillance and Sanral will share all information at its disposal with police to aid the investigation,” said Vusi Mona, Sanral General Manager for Communications and Marketing.

“While we can reduce the motivation to commit crime, by increasing our security measures at toll plazas, we cannot police someone’s intention to commit a crime. We, therefore, appeal to road users to always be vigilant and aware of threats to their security in any location.

ALSO READ: New hijacking trend of faking an accident targeting female drivers

“Sanral’s camera network across the country has assisted police in their investigations and securing convictions of criminals on a number of occasions and the agency will continue to work with law enforcement agencies to create safer spaces for all road users.”

Compiled by Vhahangwele Nemakonde