KwaZulu-Natal Transport MEC Siboniso Duma warned used car dealerships that there will be severe consequences for buying hijacked or stolen state vehicles.
Duma issued the warning after the recovery of a hijacked double-cab bakkie in Azalea Township in Pietermaritzburg. He said one person had been arrested. The double-cab bakkie was hijacked on Tuesday.
On Thursday, Duma commended his team from Operation Shanela for their decisive, intelligence-driven execution of the #NenzaniLaEzweni Operation.
“The latest arrest is a clear indication of our firmer hand on criminals targeting the department’s assets, fleet, and infrastructure aimed at accelerating service delivery for the benefit of ordinary members of communities,” he said.
Duma added that Operation Shanela and Road Traffic Inspectorate (RTI) teams are working with all law enforcement agencies to deal decisively with any re-emergence of state vehicle hijackings.
“We are warning society and used car dealerships that there will be severe consequences for buying stolen state cars. Any market for stolen vehicles is the root cause of car hijackings, with young, vulnerable youth being recruited to work for syndicates behind the racket,” Duma said.
He had been informed that if not dismantled in chop shops, stolen and hijacked state vehicles are often sold to other provinces and neighbouring countries.
He said the department had put measures in place to protect a total of 8,991 state vehicles.
Crime Statistics
Although Duma focused on state owned vehicles, statistics painted an overall picture of the crime.
The SAPS national crime statistics for the fourth quarter of the 2025/2026 financial year revealed that between January 2026 and March 2026, there were 3,609 carjacking incidents reported across South Africa. In KwaZulu-Natal, 446 incidents were reported in that period, while Gauteng recorded 2,062 incidents.
Among the top 30 police stations for carjackings, Johannesburg’s Alexandra area recorded the most with 63 incidents, while KZN’s Umlazi was placed 5th with 52 incidents.
The quarterly crime statistics also revealed that carjacking incidents were decreasing across the country. Between January 2022 and March 2022, 5,402 incidents were recorded compared to 4,533 between January 2025 and March 2025. The latest crime statistics for the past two quarters show that vehicle hijackings in South Africa remain alarmingly high, with little sign of easing.
Popular vehicles such as the Toyota Hilux and Volkswagen Polo continue to dominate hijacking statistics due to their high resale value and strong demand for parts.
Newer additions to the list of commonly targeted vehicles include the Kia Picanto, Isuzu D-Max and Toyota Corolla Cross. The Ford Ranger also continues to feature prominently as its popularity grows.
Several high-risk hijacking areas across the country remain unchanged.
zainul.dawood@iol.co.za
IOL
