November starts with three hijackings
According to Santam’s Insurance Barometer report for 2022/23, vehicle hijacking claims were up by 32% from 2021 to 2022. Mr Wahl Bartmann, group CEO of the Fidelity Services Group, added to this and said in a recent press release that the latest police crime statistics show that around 60 vehicles are hijacked in South Africa …
According to Santam’s Insurance Barometer report for 2022/23, vehicle hijacking claims were up by 32% from 2021 to 2022.
Mr Wahl Bartmann, group CEO of the Fidelity Services Group, added to this and said in a recent press release that the latest police crime statistics show that around 60 vehicles are hijacked in South Africa every day.
In eMalahleni the hijacking numbers are steadily climbing. Three hijackings were reported in two days.
In the early hours of the morning on Friday, November 3 a man saw two men he knew and offered them a lift to Uthingo Park.
“I know the two boys and that is why I helped them. When we stopped at the gate, they got out of my car and one walked to my window and pointed a firearm at me.”
The man who does not want his name mentioned said he was put in the car’s boot, but his passenger managed to escape and alert the police.
The police recognised the car, stopped it, and arrested the two men driving it. They found the traumatised victim still in the boot.
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The second victim lost his bakkie, and some cash, and the hijackers also took off with his passport and driver’s license.
The man told police he stopped at his house on November 3 at 21:00, and before he could turn the ignition off, he heard a loud banging on his window.
He alleged that three armed men surrounded him, searched him, took his cash and other belongings, and fled with the bakkie.
On November 4 a man drove along Main Street to drop his colleague off in Klarinet.
The man told the police that nature called, and they stopped in front of the bridge to answer the call when three men appeared out of nowhere and robbed them.
“The men were instructed to lie down. The alleged hijackers fired some shots into the air, got into the man’s Hyundai Getz, and drove off,” said local police spokesperson Captain Eddie Hall.Hall concluded, “Avoid driving or parking in an unsecured area when possible, and be vigilant if you travel at night.”
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