Sharp rise in car theft

POLOKWANE – Francois Swart, the media liaison officer for the Community Policing Forum, says the areas of the Pietersburg Provincial Hospital and the CBD have been identified as hotspots. Police spokesperson Brigadier Motlafela Mojapelo confirmed that the number of vehicle theft has risen sharply.

In one of the cases, the complainant alleged that he received a cellphone call from a man who wanted to buy a car he was selling, according to Mojapelo.

“The arrangement was then made over the phone that they will meet on a particular day to finalise the deal. On the day the caller failed to arrive but he sent someone he referred to as his nephew to finalise the deal on his behalf. The nephew came with the necessary identification and documentation to finish the sale and was informed that R30 000 had been deposited.”

Mojapelo says the complainant handed over the car to the nephew and it was only later that he realised there was no money in the bank.

“The vehicle is nowhere to be found. The best method is for people to use the services of a registered motor vehicle dealer.”

In another incident, one resident explained that he was driving in his bakkie when he got to a stop sign and a person in the road demanded that he get out of the car.

“I thought about simply driving away but he had a gun and I did not want to take the risk of losing both my life and the car. I got out and I tried to negotiate with him but he was not willing to listen. The guy was boasting about how he chooses to steal cars and if he wanted my phone he would have been a pickpocket instead. I handed over all my belongings and my car was gone,” the man told Polokwane Observer.

He says a case was opened at the police station but after the first 72 hours past he lost hope that the car would be recovered.

Vincent Kunutu, chairperson of the Seshego Community Against Crime and Gangsterism (SCACAG) says they have also noted an increase in car theft across the city including in Seshego. Six cars were stolen from the Seshego area including Ladanna over the past week, and of those three have been recovered.

“The thugs steal the car and hide it for 24 hours without using it to check if the tracking device is being activated or not. When the time lapses and the car has not been recovered they know it has no tracking device and they proceed with stripping it or transporting it across the border. The two cars we recovered were stolen in Polokwane and were hidden along the N1 north, presumable before being transported to Zimbabwe.”

He says they were fortunate to have recovered some of the cars within 72 hours.

“Even if a car is reported stolen in town we always try our best to mobilise our teams to be on the lookout for it. Motorists need to be vigilant and aware of their surroundings at all times. The chances of having your car stolen are higher if you are driving around in an abandoned or quiet area at night. There is also no waiting time to open such cases or to let people know to keep a watch on it. The sooner you report it the better.”

Kunutu believes what is going on in Polokwane is the work of a syndicate gang as two cars that were stolen separately, were recovered in the same area. Swart says motorists should always double-check when they lock their vehicles as many complaints they receive relate to remote-jamming devices having been used.