SA hijackings pose rising threat to Namibian drivers

Thirty-two-year-old Namibian truck driver Vilho Panduleni Nyati was returned safe and sound to the Namibian High Commission in Pretoria last week after being hijacked the previous Thursday between 23:00 and midnight. He, his truck, and his cargo were held by unknown suspects for several days.

Commissioner Reinhard Haoseb, the Namibian Police's attaché to South Africa, confirmed that Nyati was left blindfolded somewhere in Johannesburg on Thursday, 23 May and eventually received assistance at a petrol station in Protea Glen in Soweto. Good Samaritans informed the South African police of a man seeking help and Haoseb picked Nyati up after the Namibian authorities were notified. According to Haoseb, Nyati was unharmed and received assistance with emergency travel documents to return him to Namibia.

Growing concern

The executive director of the Walvis Bay Corridor Group, Mbahupu Tjivikua, has issued a warning about the latest incidents of truck hijackings involving Namibians in South Africa. In addition to Nyati's hijacking, another truck was hijacked on Wednesday last week, he said.

"We hope that it will be recovered, as we are hopeful for the arrest of the criminals. We appreciate the assistance of the Namibian embassy in Pretoria," he said at the time. Tjivikua also added that Nyati's truck has not been recovered yet after the incident, which reportedly occurred on the N3 route just outside Harrismith while he was travelling from Durban.

"We are grateful that he was found alive, although all his documents and possessions were lost," Tjivikua said. Earlier this month, Tjivikua warned Namibian truck drivers to be vigilant when travelling to and from South Africa due to an increase in hijacking incidents.

Hijacking statistics

Worldmetrics released statistics on Monday regarding truck hijacking statistics from South Africa. "South Africa has one of the world's highest rates of truck hijackings, with approximately 30 to 35 happening every week," according to the site.

Between April and June 2020, no less than 1 183 truck hijackings were reported in South Africa. The statistics also indicate that the trend is not new, referring to 2018, when 47% of all vehicle hijackings in South Africa involved trucks and light delivery vehicles. The website quotes the South African national council for road safety, saying that 70% of truck hijackings in the neighbouring country take place in the great Gauteng area. Interestingly, black trucks are 70% more likely to be hijacked in South Africa than white trucks.

However, truck hijacking is by no means an African problem. Woldmetrics cites a CargoNet report that cargo theft and truck hijacking increased by 21% in the United States in 2020, each averaging millions of Namibian dollars in losses. Similar statistics are reflected for Mexico and Brazil, as well as Canada.

Keep safe

Namibian truck drivers are further advised to travel in convoys. Haoseb also advised truck owners to install more than one tracking device on both the truck and the trailer. He said criminals in South Africa know how to disable devices and keep truck drivers captive until they can get rid of the truck and cargo. Furthermore, he recommended that more than one driver travel together so that someone can escape and inform the nearest police officer as quickly as possible.

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