Hijacking remains a concern
for the trucking industry in
Gauteng, says Gavin Kelly,
spokesman for the Road
Freight Association (RFA).
He told FTW that
interventions were ongoing
to address the issue, but it
remained a serious challenge
for many operators.
According to Kelly
trucks carrying high-value
goods are a key target, as
is fuel. But he said there
was a growing trend
towards hijacking trucks
transporting food.
According to Crime Stats
SA, the top three worst
precincts in the country
for truck hijackings are in
Gauteng. Last recorded
statistics for the country
indicate that a total of
73 hijackings took place
in or near Heidelberg,
41 in the Kempton Park
area and 32 in Vosloorus
during the course of a
year. Other precincts in
Johannesburg in the top ten
worst precincts for truck
hijacking are Bedfordview,
Alberton, Olifantsfontein
and Boksburg North – a
total of seven out of ten.
According to this
organisation’s records,
at least 771 trucks were
hijacked in Gauteng last
year.
Kelly said they were not
in a position to comment
on whether hijacking was
increasing or not, but
there were concerns that
incidents would increase in
light of the tough economic
conditions.
He called on operators
to be vigilant and to report
all incidents as it remained
essential for data collection
– giving an indication
of how big the problem
was and whether it was
increasing or not.
