Residents of eMalahleni are on edge due to an increase in hijackings, which is causing anxiety, especially as the holiday season draws near.
A growing trend of insecurity in the community is highlighted by the disturbing accounts shared by recent victims, Ceci Mavimbela and an unnamed woman.
Mavimbela manages a bakery and delivers bread to local shops from Monday to Saturday.
Mavimbela said, “I was in Overline with my brother, delivering at one of the local shops. My brother was on his way back to the car at this point. I noticed an unknown figure approaching the car through the mirror, and the next thing I knew, the man was pointing a firearm at me.
When I turned back, another suspect was pointing a gun at my brother, and I tried to give one of the suspects the money from the deliveries, but he instructed me to get out of the car, and they then fled with the car.”
Mavimbela is desperately looking for help from the community to find her stolen car, a bottle green Corsa with registration number: FWL 924 MP.
In another incident, a woman who wishes to remain anonymous was literally thrown out of her vehicle where she stopped near a local filling station.
She described the incident, saying, “It sounded like a stone hitting my car window, and then I was being dragged out of the car by an unknown man, who then drove away with the car, leaving me stunned!”
All of her possessions were found in her car when it was discovered the same day, next to a nearby power station.
However, the suspect is still on the loose.
Recent crime statistics reveal a troubling reality for eMalahleni, with a significant increase in carjackings.
Between July and September 2023, 101 cases were reported at Vosman and Witbank Police Stations.
Witbank Police Station recorded 52 cases, and Vosman recorded 49, marking a 14% surge in carjackings across Mpumalanga Province.
Witbank and Vosman are now among the top 30 police stations nationally with the highest incidents of carjackings.
Witbank Police Station claims the 21st spot, and Vosman holds the 24th, intensifying concerns within the community.
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