Hijackers target a new group of vehicles in South Africa

Recent data shows that hijackers have shifted their focus from everyday cars to fleet or business vehicles as their primary targets in South Africa.

According to Trackers’ latest Vehicle Crime Index for the fourth quarter of 2024, business vehicles are increasingly targeted.

Tracker’s Vehicle Crime Index aggregates information from the company’s more than 1.1 million subscriptions.

The security firm’s vehicle crime statistics for July to December 2024 highlighted that hijackings comprise 56% of all vehicle crime incidents in South Africa, while theft accounts for 44%.

Tracker noted that hijacking becomes more pronounced when evaluating business-owned vehicles and specific provinces in South Africa, particularly in the Western Cape and Eastern Cape.

“The data indicates that across the country, business-owned vehicles are twice as likely to be hijacked than stolen, with just over half of these vehicles hijacked in Gauteng,” it said.

“In the Western Cape, business-owned vehicles are four times more likely to be hijacked than stolen, rising to eight times in the Eastern Cape. Business-owned vehicle crime is skewed toward hijacking.”

The report highlighted that the national split between hijacking and theft is relatively equal for personal vehicles.

In Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal, the two regions that account for most of the total vehicle crime, more personal vehicles are stolen than hijacked, at 52% and 61%, respectively.

In contrast, a personal vehicle is twice as likely to be hijacked than stolen in the Western Cape and four times more likely in the Eastern Cape.

However, Tracker said that countrywide, the likelihood of vehicle crime being a hijacking rather than a theft is 33% higher for business-owned vehicles than personal vehicles.

“Business-owned vehicles are also 56% more likely to experience vehicle crime compared to personal vehicles,” it added.

The reason for the shift in hijacking targets

Looking at why criminals have shifted their focus to business vehicles, the tracking firm pointed to their cargo and the vehicle itself.

This is because business-owned vehicles range from cargo trucks with trailers to courier vehicles delivering items ordered online.

“Crime targeting these vehicles proves highly lucrative, with criminals acquiring the vehicle, the goods being transported and the driver’s personal belongings, like mobile phone,” said Tracker.

“These crimes often happen opportunistically when the vehicle is stopped along its route, for example, at a truck stop or in a driveway during a delivery.”

Tracker noted that more vehicles are reported hijacked on Fridays and between 16h00 and 21h00. Theft is mainly reported on Saturdays, also between 16h00 and 21h00.

Tracker also highlighted that during the last half of 2024, the company recovered 3,479 vehicles, assisted in 127 arrests, and recovered eight firearms.

“Hijacking, while terrifying to the victim, can be a highly efficient crime for perpetrators, which has led to its rising occurrence,” said Duma Ngcobo, Chief Operating Officer at Tracker.

“As vehicle owners become more aware of early warning tools and free tracking apps, it is becoming increasingly difficult for criminals to steal a vehicle without detection.”

“A hijacking, however, allows criminals immediate access to the vehicle and its contents without overriding tracking technology.”

He advises businesses to increase their focus on risk management and consider all the available tools that make it harder for criminals to find easy targets.

“Businesses, in particular, can implement technologies to help mitigate this crime and increase safety,” Ngcobo said.

It includes AI-powered fleet dashcams with facial recognition, 360-degree cameras, safe zone management, and cargo door sensors.

Another valuable technology is a driver assist button for emergencies that can alert fleet managers to take immediate action.

“Businesses can also subscribe their drivers to rapid emergency armed response services for quick action,” said Ngcobo.