Brazen hijacking gangs staying one step ahead of the law

Armed men using a vehicle fitted with blue lights ambushed a KuGompo City’s family’s white Mitsubishi people carrier in the early hours of July 8, forcing the driver and his wife out before speeding off in the vehicle that provided the family’s only source of income.

The couple had been driving from Dawn to Vergenoeg shortly after 4am to collect workers when they were stopped in the Wilsonia industrial area by three robbers, who had parked their vehicle on the side of the road, its official-looking lights flashing.

The hijackers robbed them of their cellphones and money before driving off in the couple’s seven-seater.

The father of the hijacked man and owner of the Mitsubishi, Vernon Cornelissen, said this week the hold-up had devastated the family financially.

“My son and his wife were travelling from Dawn to Vergenoeg to pick up people they were supposed to transport to work.

“As they passed the Wilsonia industrial area, they were stopped by three armed men who then demanded money and cellphones before forcing them out of the car and speeding off in it.

“I am currently unemployed and was using the vehicle to make some income.

“Our livelihoods depended on it, and now we basically have no other income stream to support us as a family,” he said.

The hijacking was reported at the Cambridge police station, but more than a week later the vehicle had still not been recovered.

Cornelissen’s family is among hundreds of motorists who have fallen victim to vehicle hijackers in the Buffalo City Metro in recent years.

Figures tabled in the Bhisho legislature reveal that 691 motorists have been hijacked in the metro since 2022.

Though police arrested 167 suspects over the four-year period, only 17 perpetrators were successfully prosecuted.

The figures, contained in a written parliamentary reply by community safety MEC Xolile Nqatha to questions from the DA, show that 232 motorists were hijacked during the 2022/2023 financial year.

The figure dropped to 184 in 2023/2024, before declining further to 162 between April 2024 and March 2025 and 113 during the 2025/2026 financial year.

According to the report, police arrested 36 suspects during the 2022/2023 financial year, 57 the following year, 48 in 2024/2025 and 26 during the last financial year.

However, despite the 167 arrests, only 17 cases resulted in successful prosecutions, while prosecutions failed in a further 48 cases.

Nqatha said there were no specific hijacking hotspots in the Buffalo City Metro, with incidents occurring across different precincts.

He attributed many of the crimes to sophisticated organised syndicates.

“These crimes are committed by highly organised syndicates who are in possession of advanced resources and inside help,” he said.

It is also concerning that SAPS says there are no identified vehicle hijacking hotspots in Buffalo City despite hundreds of reported cases

—  DA MPL Leander Kruger

Williams said hijacked vehicles were often used to commit other serious crimes before being abandoned or destroyed.

Some were used as getaway vehicles in business robberies and cash-in-transit heists before being torched to destroy forensic evidence.

Between 2022 and this year, 22 cash-in-transit robberies were recorded in Buffalo City.

One of the victims of the hijacking scourge is former BCM employee Luyanda Jordan, who is still searching for answers after his Mercedes-Benz C220D was hijacked in Southernwood in October last year.

Jordan said he had stopped when he was approached by two men and a woman pretending to seek a lift for the woman to Amalinda.

“There were some cars in front of me, so I had to yield, and as I was still speaking to these people, the two guys opened my doors and forced their way into the car, together with their female accomplice.

“I drove for a few metres before I was forced out of the car, which then drove off and vanished.”

Jordan said several friends later reported seeing what appeared to be his vehicle driving around the city with different registration plates.

They recognised it by distinctive dents on the front and rear, but police investigations did not result in a breakthrough.

Having recently left his job at the municipality, Jordan had paid cash for the vehicle and had not yet insured it or installed a tracking device.

Another victim, who identified himself only as Brighton, was more fortunate.

He had stopped on the roadside in Selborne last week when a man armed with a knife suddenly appeared and climbed into his idling Nissan Micra.

“The guy appeared from nowhere, brandishing a knife, before jumping into my car which was still idling.

“However, I was very fortunate. Police managed to recover the car near Port Alfred two days later.

“I am not sure if anyone was arrested when the vehicle was recovered, but I am just glad that I was reunited with it within a short space of time.”

Eastern Cape Community Policing Forum provincial secretary Ludumo Salman said hijackings remained common in parts of Buffalo City despite the decline reflected in official figures.

He identified the East London CBD, Southernwood, Quigney, Duncan Village, Scenery Park and Mdantsane as areas where cases were regularly reported.

Salman said though some hijacked vehicles were recovered, many were stripped for parts or burned in secluded areas.

“Some of these vehicles are used in the commission of armed robberies, while some are hijacked to escape from such robbery crime scenes.

“While many are never recovered, some are found stripped of their parts and burnt.

“In the past we had a lot of cases relating to the hijacking of courier delivery vehicles, but that has since dropped as such delivery cars are now escorted by private security personnel.”

He said a woman driving a VW Polo had been hijacked in Duncan Village on Monday.

The hijackers allegedly used her bank cards to buy alcohol in Amalinda, enabling police to track them to Braelyn.

“One suspect was fortunately arrested, while the rest of his accomplices jumped out of the car and managed to evade arrest.”

Salman recounted his own narrow escape from an attempted hijacking in Southernwood.

“I had stopped at the robots and there was a car before me, and I was boxed in by another vehicle behind me, making me an easy target.

“I then saw this man approaching my window and he tried to forcefully open my door.

“Fortunately, I had my gun handy and when he opened the door, he saw I was pointing a firearm towards him.

“He started running away, and I noticed there was another accomplice with him.

“I jumped out of the car and tried to chase after them, but I could not shoot because I had two little children in my car.”

He urged motorists to remain vigilant, particularly when stopping at traffic lights in the Southernwood area at night.

DA MPL Leander Kruger said more than 100 hijacking cases in a single financial year remained unacceptable.

“It is also concerning that the SAPS says there are no identified vehicle hijacking hotspots in Buffalo City despite hundreds of reported cases.

“If hijackings are occurring across various precincts, the SAPS should still be mapping repeat routes, times, methods, locations and high-risk areas so that visible policing and intelligence-led operations can be properly targeted.”

Kruger said the Eastern Cape government and police should develop a dedicated anti-hijacking strategy for Buffalo City.

“This must identify hotspot precincts and high-risk routes, increase visible policing in affected areas, strengthen crime intelligence and improve co-ordination with BCM’s public safety directorate.

“We also need to strengthen the case pipeline between detectives, prosecutors and the courts, as BCM residents deserve a focused policing plan that catches criminals, secures convictions and cleans up dangerous areas.”

According to national crime statistics, police recorded 18,175 carjackings across SA during the 2025/2026 financial year — an average of nearly 50 vehicles hijacked every day.

Among the most commonly targeted vehicles are the Toyota Hilux, Volkswagen Polo Vivo, Ford Ranger, Toyota Fortuner and Hyundai Grand i10 because of their resale value, demand for spare parts and widespread use on South African roads.

Provincial police spokesperson Brigadier Nobuntu Gantana said hijacking cases in Buffalo City Metro were declining.

She said police were working with the BCM security cluster and Community Safety Forum on joint operations to curb the crime.

“We are rolling out monitored CCTV cameras with the municipality, and through recent operations such as Operation Shanela, we have recovered 66 stolen or hijacked vehicles.”

On the low conviction rate, Gantana said witness intimidation remained a major challenge.

“These are highly organised syndicates with advanced resources and cross-border operations, while witnesses are intimidated in some cases.

“We are engaging the NPA to secure witness testimony and ensure case dockets are fully prepared before court.”

Gantana said hotspots for hijacking were KwaZakhele, New Brighton, KwaDwesi, Motherwell and Swartkops in Nelson Mandela Bay, Mthatha, Madeira, Ngqeleni, Lusikisiki and Libode in OR Tambo district, and KuGompo City in Buffalo City Metro.

Gantana said bakkies, minibus taxis and courier vehicles were frequently targeted because they are used in cash-in-transit robberies, as getaway vehicles, stripped for parts or smuggled across borders.

She urged motorists to remain vigilant by locking doors, keeping windows closed, leaving enough space to escape at intersections, avoiding isolated areas and not displaying valuables inside their vehicles.

According to King Price Insurance’s website, the vehicles below appear most frequently in hijacking statistics drawn from South African Police Service crime data, insurance industry reports and vehicle tracking insights.

Top 10 most hijacked cars in SA

1. Toyota Hilux
2. Volkswagen Polo Vivo
3. Ford Ranger
4. Toyota Fortuner
5. Hyundai Grand i10
6. Nissan NP200
7. Isuzu D-Max
8. Toyota Corolla
9. Kia Picanto
10. BMW 3 Series

According to Arrive Alive’s website, below are some of the anti-hijacking tips:

• Remain vigilant, especially in unfamiliar or high-risk areas.
• Watch out for vehicles following you or suspicious groups of people at the roadside.
• Vary routes and schedules.
• Keep doors locked and windows up, particularly at traffic lights or in slow-moving traffic.
• Reverse your car into parking spots to quickly escape in dangerous situations.
• Park parallel to your house and be ready to leave suddenly.
• Anticipate traffic light changes.
• Watch your blind spot as criminals often stand in these.
• Always have an escape route.

If a hijacking is unavoidable:

• Do not resist or argue — your life is worth more than any vehicle.
• Avoid sudden movements that could be misinterpreted.
• Report the incident to the police immediately.

Daily Dispatch