According to Mr Colin Watson, who heads Gladiator’s actions in this area, he was driving on the Leeupoort road, that leads past East Driefontein mine and Mphahla Village, at around 09:00 when he saw a truck with a burst tyre on the side of the road.

“I stopped and asked whether I could maybe help with something,” says Watson.

The driver told him that the truck had been hijacked in Boksburg and its cargo stolen. The driver also showed him on the GPS where the truck had been parked behind Hostel no. 1.

Watson went with the driver to the site and, much to their surprise, they saw how the owner of the Trio shop at the site were loading some of the stolen goods from the hijacked truck onto palettes.

“I arrested the shop owner and his wife before they could try to get away, and contacted the police,” says Watson.

According to the communication officer of the police in Carletonville, WO Peter Masooa, the police confiscated 36 pallets of Savanah 500ml liquor bottles each with together with 75 full cases of the beer.

A concealment of Dischem products, which included medicine, powder milk and toilet paper were also found on the property.

According to Watson, other goods, such as bullet proof vests, cars and a bot were also found at the scene.

A case of possession of suspected stolen goods was registered with the Carletonville SAPS.

“The hijacking of delivery trucks is very common around Gauteng and is causing a harm to the economy of the country. The police have a mandate to arrest and charge people who are in possession of property or buy stolen goods and cannot account for the possession thereof. The members have done a very good complete work,” says the Carletonville station commander Brig Marinda Theron.

The hijacked truck. Photo: Gladiator.

Some of the confiscated liquor. Photo: Gladiator.

Some of the medicine from the Dischem concealment that was also found back. Photo: Gladiator.