Cape Town has seen a considerable decrease in carjackings over the past 13 years, together with Mandela Bay and Tshwane – according to a recent report by South African Cities Network (SACN). While the rest of the country is not so lucky, it is unclear why the decrease has occurred in Cape Town – but it has been suggested that awareness of locals, leading to more cautious behaviour could be a contributing factor.
Elsewhere in South Africa a substantial increase in carjackings has been noted across most cities, according to SACN. The report suggests the sophistication of car security has made it increasingly difficult for criminals to steal stationary vehicles so they resort to hijacking cars.
Johannesburg has taken the lead for the most dangerous municipality for hijacking cases, followed by Ethekwini and Ekurhuleni.
Reports show hijackings are closely connected to larger cities, who have a higher vehicle theft rate than the national average.
Hijackers also prefer newer models – more than half of hijackings happen to vehicles less than 10 years old. Although, older cars are still being hijacked to sell off spare parts.
Roughly 16 325 vehicle hijackings are reported annually, according to SAPS – most of these incidents take place in Gauteng. On average, 23 incidents are recorded per day in this province, which makes it the highest number of reported carjackings in South Africa.
Security company Fidelity has warned locals to stay vigilant as hijackings, especially those that involve motorists being followed home, are more prevalent than ever.
“We continue to see incidents of follow-home hijackings and opportunistic hijackings throughout the year. Anyone who drives a car is at risk and needs to be aware and cautious,” Charnel Hattingh, National Marketing & Communications Manager at Fidelity ADT warned in a statement.
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