3 Pretoria Guards Arrested on Suspicions of Hijackings

• Three security guards in Tshwane, Gauteng, were arrested on 15 January for car hijackings in Tshwane
• The South African Police Service found them in possession of a firearm and a VW Golf GTI that was hijacked in Hillbrow, Johannesburg
• South Africans alleged that many of the suspects arrested for car hijackings were security guards

Tebogo Mokwena, a Briefly News current affairs journalist in Johannesburg, South Africa, covered criminal activities, police investigations, police shootouts and court cases at Daily Sun for over three years.

PRETORIA — The South African Police Service arrested three security guards on 15 January 2025 who were accused of being behind a string of hijackings in Tshwane.

Suspected hijacking gang arrested

According to the South African Police Service, a multidisciplinary operation involving SAPS's Highway Patrol Unity, Tracker Connect, Cap Specialised Operations, and ICB Insurance Crime Bureau searched for the suspects after a Golf GTI was recently hijacked from Hillbrow.

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The officers tracked them down and located them in Pretoria Central. They stopped the car and searched the occupants. The police found a firearm and large amounts of ammunition. The car was fitted with false registration plates. The three were arrested. They will appear before the Pretoria Magistrates Court soon.

Hijackings in 2024

• A South African woman shared in September how her vehicle was hijacked and taken out of the country
• The police arrested a man in Durban in November for robbing and hijacking two of its members
• The police also arrested a man in Giyani in November after he committed robbery and hijacking a year before

What do South Africans think?

Netizens on Facebook shared their views.

Mark Etheridge said:

"If you're working for a security company and are guilty of something like this, the prison time should be double the norm."

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Bongani Jack said:

"We have an issue of securities having better guns than police."

Brian Mc said:

"Security companies are becoming a headache with their big guns. This industry is not well regulated."

Mohau Mofokeng said:

"Police officers and security companies are becoming a problem."

Thabiso Lebea said:

"Security companies are one of the biggest perpetrators of criminal activities in South Africa after the real criminals and corrupt members of SAPS."

5 Arrested for hijacking at Mandela's house

In a related article, Briefly News reported that five people were arrested at the house of former president Nelson Mandela in Houghton for hijacking. One of the suspects was Mandela's grandson.

The Johannesburg Metro Police followed up on reports that an e-hailing driver was hijacked. They tracked the vehicle to Madiba's house and arrested five suspects, including Mandela's grandson.

Source: Briefly News