Cross-border hijack syndicate crushed

Leonard Neill POLICE IN northern Zululand have smashed a cross-border vehicle hijacking syndicate which has been linked to the recent spate of renewed car thefts in Gauteng. With the assistance of the defence force, Umfolozi regional police mounted the operation which they are now satisfied has crushed a crime network that stretched even beyond the two provinces. The bulk of the vehicles were driven to what police have described as a 'cooling off place' in northern Zululand where they waited for a few weeks during which false papers were arranged for them. They were then driven to Maputo and transported to various destinations in central Africa. The 'cooling off place' was at eManguse, where 32 vehicles were discovered and 11 people arrested. Police are satisfied that several ringleaders of the syndicate were among them. "Cars have come here mainly from Gauteng but have also been stolen in other parts of South Africa," says police spokesman Musa Khaba. "According to our information from Gauteng, car hijacking has decreased significantly since we began this operation."