Automobiles on South Africa’s roads usually tend to get hijacked than be stolen, in line with information from automobile monitoring specialist Tracker.
The rise in hijackings is attributed to criminals eager to steal autos by avoiding the necessity to bypass satellite tv for pc monitoring know-how which may be fitted.
These are the findings Tracker’s Automobile Crime Index, which thought of information between July and December 2024.
“Hijacking, whereas terrifying to the sufferer, could be a extremely environment friendly crime for perpetrators, which has led to its rising incidence. As automobile homeowners grow to be extra conscious of early-warning instruments and free monitoring apps, it’s changing into more and more troublesome for criminals to steal a automobile with out detection,” mentioned Tracker chief working officer Duma Ngcobo in a press release on Monday. “A hijacking, nonetheless, permits criminals quick entry to the automobile and its contents, without having to override monitoring know-how.”
In keeping with Tracker’s findings, a private automobile is simply as prone to get stolen as it’s to get highjacked. However on the subject of enterprise autos, the probabilities of a hijacking are on common double that of theft.
The image modifications, nonetheless, when checked out provincially. KwaZulu-Natal had the bottom hijacking-to-theft ratio, with simply over two autos hijacked for each one stolen. The ratio in Gauteng was barely worse at slightly below three.
When it occurs
Within the Western Cape, 4 autos had been hijacked for each one which was stolen, whereas the Jap Cape had the very best ratio with eight hijackings per stolen automobile.
Tracker mentioned extra hijackings are reported on Fridays between 4pm and 9pm, whereas extra thefts are reported on Saturdays, additionally from 4pm to 9pm. Tracker mentioned its units led to round 3 500 automobile recoveries, 127 arrests and eight recovered firearms within the second half of 2024.
Learn: New know-how is making vehicles simpler to steal
“Companies, particularly, can implement applied sciences to assist mitigate this crime. AI-powered fleet dashcams with facial recognition, 360-degree cameras, protected zone administration, cargo doorways sensors and a driver-assist button for emergencies can alert fleet managers to take quick motion. Companies can even subscribe their drivers to speedy emergency armed response companies,” mentioned Ngcobo. – © 2025 NewsCentral Media
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