Two City of Cape Town vehicles hijacked within six hours

Hijackers have stolen a Cape Town traffic official’s car early on Tuesday morning and then used it to hijack another vehicle, while hours later the official car of an officer from the City’s Law Enforcement unit was also hijacked.

One of Cape Town’s Law Enforcement (LE) unit officers was hijacked in Nyanga East on Tuesday morning as he was leaving for work, the City’s LE spokesperson Wayne Dyason said.

The officer was left behind unharmed and when the vehicle was recovered via tracking technology shortly afterwards, all that was missing was the car battery.

The keys were still in the ignition.

The officer did not have his weapon with him as he was still leaving home at the time of the incident at around 06AM.

A picture of the recovered vehicle shows that it even had the City’s branding on the driver’s door side.

The vehicle was found in a street in Crossroads which Dyason said is fast gaining a reputation as a dumping strip for hot cars.

In the meantime, a Cape Town Traffic Service officer is recovering from the trauma of being robbed of her patrol vehicle and personal belongings in Eerste River just after midnight on Tuesday.

“The officer had just dropped a colleague at home after their shift, when she was accosted by a group of suspects,” said spokesperson Maxine Bezuidenhout.

“They took off, and information from the [SA Police Service] is that the traffic vehicle was then used to hijack another vehicle.”

Both vehicles were later found on Old Faure Road, close to the military base.

Although physically unharmed, the traffic officer is extremely traumatised and Bezuidenhout said she was getting support from the department.

Anybody with information about the incident has been asked to contact the City’s Public Emergency Communication Centre on 021 480 7700 or the police’s 10111 number.

The Law Enforcement and Traffic departments of the City focus on enforcing the city’s by-laws and traffic laws, by clamping down on offences such as general nuisances, alcohol offences, speeding, driving under the influence of alcohol, illegal parking, reckless driving, problem buildings and illegal informal trading, according to its website.

The LE unit also deals with land invasions and metal theft.

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