Trucks with valuable freight travel South Africa as well and neighboring countries continuously. Across South Africa truck hijackings and cargo theft is being reported on the daily – as much as 90% of these hijackings involve an inside source tipping off criminals with crucial information.
Over the last decade, the freight industry reported 11,112 truck heists, an average of 1,110 within a year.
The top
commodities being stolen during 2018/19 included soybeans, diesel,
yellow maize, and biscuits – costing the economy R10 billion a year.
Trucks
carrying alcohol also see a large number of hijackings and attacks,
especially over the Easter and festive months when sales spike and
prices rise. The truck robberies have become more violent with many
criminals presenting themselves as police or traffic officers bringing
vehicles to a standstill, and once criminals have stopped a truck it is
at their mercy. Small arms and high calibre weapons are being used by
these criminals – making these syndicates “sophisticated” and able to
strike with an unprecedented level of precision and force.
Apart
from the freight on board, criminals also target trucks to strip the
parts. The freight industry incurs major financial losses on top of
COVID-19 and drivers become reluctant to drive unsafe routes or times.
