Sharp rise in hitch-hikers being robbed from Polokwane

POLOKWANE – Efforts by taxi operators to stop hitch-hiking are often interpreted as bitterness from the industry’s perspective as they face reduced profit margins, but the reality is that hitch-hikers are increasingly being robbed by those they seek transportation from.

This is according to Frans Kgasago, the National Taxi Alliance (NTA) Limpopo spokesperson and chairperson of the Limpopo Community Policing Forum.

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Polokwane police station commander, Brig Matome Makhura confirmed that in the last three quarters, 64 robberies of hitch-hikers were recorded, with some having been robbed of their belongings at gunpoint. This is the highest figure recorded for such crimes to date, he confirmed.

In most affidavits, the victims documented that they hitch-hiked from either the Jack Botes Hall precinct, the N1 south or the intersection at Hospital and Landdros Maré streets.

“Once they reach an isolated area outside of the city, the drivers pull over and budget travellers are taken advantage of,” he remarked.

According to Kgasago, taxi operators are most often the ones rescuing the hitch-hikers from their calamity after they have been left at the side of the road.

“It is for this reason that we advise commuters to use reliable modes of transport,” he added.

One man Polokwane Observer spoke to, who wanted to remain anonymous, said he travels from Tzaneen to Polokwane weekly, most often as a hitch-hiker.

“I am always on the edge, and I keep a weapon with me, in case I may need to defend myself. But this truly is how I save time and money, because unlike public transport, I get dropped off where I need to be. If I am lucky, the driver does not ask make me to pay. I need to maximise savings to cover my costs and this is one way to do that.”