Tracker South Africa has warned of the escalation in hijackers targeting delivery fleets amid the boom in e-commerce in South Africa\u2014with your online items now the main target apart from the car itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated the adoption of online retail in South Africa, leading to a significant increase in e-commerce transactions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This growth has also had a positive impact on the freight and logistics sector. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to Mordor Intelligence, the industry is projected to grow from a value of R402 billion in 2023 to around R590 billion by 2029. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Given South Africa’s high rate of vehicle and fleet crime, the increase in the number of delivery vehicles on the roads has led to a rise in hijacking incidents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Criminals are now targeting courier and logistics vehicles that are transporting goods bought online.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cRegrettably, crime aimed at online deliveries now prove highly lucrative, whether the objective is acquiring the delivered goods, seizing cash or devices carried by drivers, or commandeering the delivery vehicle<\/strong>,\u201d it said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Where the hijacked loads have been reported to Tracker, 81% of these were fast-moving consumable goods (FMCG), including alcohol, clothing, groceries, couriered parcels through online sales platforms, homeware and medication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In criminal circles, cargo is now considered more valuable and desirable than the transportation vehicle itself<\/strong>, thus the escalation in opportunistic business vehicle hijackings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tracker first warned of this trend over two months ago; however, the escalations have warranted the security company to suggest fleet managers in South Africa should now consider a combination of long-term solutions to protect their cargo and drivers from hijackers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n According to Tracker\u2019s Vehicle Crime Index (VCI), which aggregates information from the company\u2019s more than 1.1 million subscribers, hijackings still dominate at a national level, accounting for 55% of all national vehicle crime incidents. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Business-owned vehicles are almost twice as likely to be hijacked than stolen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Additionally, Tracker noted South Africa\u2019s challenged road network is proving to be an additional and substantial factor in overall logistics considerations regarding driver safety. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Due to decaying rail infrastructure, trucks replaced trains on long-haul routes, resulting in more heavy-duty vehicles and their cargos being exposed to criminal elements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gauteng remains the province with the highest volume of business vehicle-related crime, accounting for 56% of incidents. KwaZulu-Natal experiences 14% of these incidents and the Western Cape 13%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This aligns with states from the South African Police Department, which showed Gauteng and the Western Cape have experienced a double-digit increase in hijacking cases. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The SAPS highlighted that South Africa has seen an increase in hijackings year-on-year, with approximately 66 cars being stolen daily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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