High-profile gun battles
in Gauteng involving fake
police cars and hijackers
dressed as policemen have
put the spotlight on the
problem of truck hijacking
in South Africa.
“The biggest problem we
face in South Africa is that
the police are involved in the
hijacking of vehicles,” David
Duffus of DPS March told
FTW during an interview
in the company’s Ndola
headquarters earlier this
year.
“Police are involved in
up to 60% of hijackings in
Gauteng,” he claimed.
DPS March assists
with securing high-value
exports such as tobacco and
copper out of
Zambia.
This is
borne out by
cross-border
hauliers who
tell FTW that
the biggest
risk to highvalue
cargo
out of the
SADC region
comes when
it crosses the
border into
South Africa.
Cargo owners are choosing
ports like Dar es Salaam,
Walvis Bay and Beira
because of the reduced risk.
Their claims are
supported by the arrest
of an off-duty policeman
who was a member of the
armed hijacking gang
which was apprehended by
the police after two were
shot dead during a chase on
September 2.
According to Hugo van
Zyl, CEO of the South
African Insurance Crime
Bureau
(SAICB),
some R8.5
billion worth
of vehicles is
stolen and
hijacked in
South Africa
every year.
That sum
excludes the
value of the
cargo.
It is
estimated
that, of the R8.5 billion
worth of vehicles stolen,
R4.9 billion’s worth is
taken across the border;
R3.1 billion stays in SA as
cloned vehicles and
R514 million ends
up in chop shops
across SA's borders.
Sophisticated
forging of
documentation
allows the trucks to be
driven through the border
posts unchallenged.
“Cross-border syndicates
are a growing concern,
thanks to our porous
borders and the fact
that crime prevention
stakeholders aren’t
yet pooling resources
effectively,” says Van Zyl.
Speaking to business
leaders in Gauteng Van Zyl
called on the heads of some
of South Africa’s leading
companies to take action to
combat the scourge.
He says there is an
increase in the incidence
of the hijacking of trucks,
“yellow metal” vehicles,
trailers and cargo.
According to SAPS
statistics, truck hijackings
steadily decreased by 8.6%
per annum over a four-year
period ending February
2012.
Since then there has
been a significant spike,
according to the industry.
“Truck f leets are targeted
due to the potential
multiplier that their
cargo offers to syndicates.
Criminals often know
exactly what cargo is being
transported, as well as the
approximate value, says
Michael van Wyngaardt,
Tracker Business executive.
Hijackers stage accidents
or set up false roadblocks.
Hauliers and cargo
owners can help combat
hijacking by sharing
information, according to
van Zyl.
The success of the
police operation early in
September is a sign that the
tide could be turning.
There is greater
cooperation between
the South African Police
Service, the South African
National Defence Force and
SADC countries.
Pound clean-ups
in Gauteng, Lesotho,
Mozambique and Swaziland
have helped reduce the
number of cloned vehicles
re-entering the system.
Van Zyl warns hauliers
to ensure that any secondhand
vehicles they purchase
have not been stolen as
insurance companies do
not have to cover cloned
vehicles.
It is estimated that
some 39 000 vehicles
“re-appeared” on the
licensing system in 2013.
INSERT
Biggest risk to highvalue
cargo out of
the SADC region
comes when it
crosses the border
into South Africa.
