The specific problems of vehicle hijacking in South Africa have been extensively documented. However, it does not make difficulties like this any easier to comprehend.
Following a spate of occurrences in the province’s north east, police in Gauteng have issued a warning about a local crime hotspot this week.
Bronkhorstspruit has been flagged by SAPS in the past few days, with hijacking attempts and vehicle robberies on the rise. The town, which sits near the provincial border with Mpumalanga, has been blighted by opportunistic crooks – and they seem to have a favourite spot to carry out these abhorrent acts of criminality.
The N4 on-ramp and off-ramp for Masada is now a hot-spot for hijackings, and police have warned motorists to remain extremely vigilant on this road.
There’s also a caution for hitch-hikers, after several people were robbed of their belongings while travelling in this region.
Bronkhorstspruit police spokesperson, Constable Munyadziwa Catherine Ramovha, told local media sources over the weekend that victims of crime need to report all incidents they are affected by. This comes as the Gauteng-based station calls for more assistance to help piece together criminal trends across the district.
Where are the worst areas for carjackings in Gauteng?
Tembisa, Jeppe, and Mamelodi East have seen the highest number of hijacking incidents in Gauteng recently- according to the latest SAPS crime stats. In Tembisa alone, these crimes DOUBLED from the previous quarter.
The data, taken from 2021, also lists Kempton Park, Sandringham, and Pretoria West amongst the top 10 carjacking hot-spots across South Africa. With 106 incidents reported inside three months, Harare in the Western Cape tops the national list – followed by its neighbouring suburb of Nyanga in second, and Tembisa in third.
Somewhat surprisingly, Gauteng’s upmarket of suburb of Sandton is now a ‘top 30 hijacking hot-spot’, too.
World News
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