Truck hijackings on the rise in South Africa

Author: Hannah Abrahams 

Truck hijackings, which were once considered to be a risk confined to specific routes or specific hours late at night, are now larger crime operations which often happen in broad daylight. For thousands of truck drivers across the country, the risk of being hijacked is an occupational reality that could play out at any moment. 

Recent data from Tracker’s Vehicle Crime Index, which covers January to June 2025, indicates that the threat of truck hijackings has evolved in both pattern and geography. Vehicles owned by businesses are now 48% more likely to be targeted than privately owned vehicles, and account for 32% more crime than their share of Tracker’s base of over 1.1 million subscriptions. Hijackings overtake vehicle theft by nearly two to one. Business owned vehicles include cargo trucks as well as couriers delivering items bought online. Furthermore, Gauteng remains the main hotspot accounting for 57% of hijacking incidents. However, Mpumalanga has emerged as a new and growing hotspot, as hijackings are five times more likely than theft. Also high on the list is the Western Cape and Eastern Cape, where incidents of hijackings are four times more likely to occur than theft.

“For any logistics entity looking to reduce hijacking incidents, the shift must be from a reactive mindset to an intelligence-led risk management model,” says Ryan Gaines, CEO of City Logistics. Gaines adds that rather than adding more ‘boots on the ground’ after an event has already occurred, the focus should be on risk profiling, creating a culture of awareness and intelligence sharing. 

Gaines explains that the starting point for understanding hijackings is a risk assessment focused on a company’s specific supply chain footprint. “This is about understanding the environmental and behavioural patterns associated with hijackings,” says Gaines.

This involves analysing historical data to identify high-risk patterns, such as specific times of day, routes or cargo type. 

According to a Statista report, entitled “Number of Truck Hijackings in South Africa financial years 2009-2023”, almost 2000 truck hijackings were recorded in the 2023 fiscal year. This number is more than double the 821 hijacking incidents reported in 2012. Furthermore, the 2024 World Metrics Report further contextualises the scale of this particular crime issue, placing South Africa among the countries with the highest rates of truck hijackings globally. It places the number of incidents per week at roughly 30 to 35. 

Gaines tells the SA Trade Desk that ‘technology is only as effective as the people operating it’ and that an important aspect is creating a culture of awareness around hijacking incidents. This goes for both drivers and control room staff. He recommends situational awareness training: empowering drivers to recognise ‘pre-incident’ indicators, as well as standardised SOPs: ensuring that all team members know how to respond to an incident within the first ‘golden minutes’.

These hijackings cause major financial damage, with the Transport Asset Protection Association revealing that within only 546 days, R577 million worth of goods were stripped from supply chains through hijackings. Coupled with the loss of cargo, businesses also face higher insurance premiums, increased delivery costs and vehicle damage. The reality of truck hijackings leave enterprises operating in “a continual state of fear and uncertainty,” as described by the Chief Executive of the Road Freight Association, Gavin Kelly. As such, there is a constant drain on an enterprise’s ability to create revenue when large amounts of cargo and vehicles are lost to hijackings. 

The statistics show that the country’s truck hijacking crisis is one that demands serious attention, as it is a primary risk factor for business operations. Gaines notes that because of the nature of hijacking being a syndicated crime, that the industry response should be syndicated.

“We strongly advocate for participation in national initiatives and public-private partnerships,” says Gaines. “Engaging with bodies that facilitate real-time intelligence sharing allows a company to benefit from collective oversight. When the industry communicates, the operating space for criminal syndicates begins to shrink.”