Mpumalanga Man Arrested After Hijacking Bakery Van and Selling the Bread

• The South African Police Service arrested a suspect after he and his accomplices allegedly hijacked a bakery delivery van
• The incident happened in Mpumalanga, and the van driver was locked in the back of his truck while the suspects sold the bread
• South Africans were stunned by the nature of the crime, and some slammed the suspect for his alleged activities

For seven years, Tebogo Mokwena, a Briefly News journalist in Johannesburg, South Africa, covered accidents, fires, outbreaks, nature, weather and natural disaster-related incidents at Daily Sun and Vutivi Business News.

MPUMALANGA — The South African Police Service arrested a suspect in Mpumalanga for allegedly selling bread after hijacking and abducting a bakery van's driver on 24 May 2025. South Africans were horrified by the crime.

Mpumalanga man hijacks bread van

According to IOL, the incident happened in the early hours of the morning. The driver was offloading bread at a general dealer when two men confronted him. The suspects had hidden behind the truck. They ordered him to enter the truck and locked him inside.

The suspects drove to different shops and offloaded and sold the bread. They then abandoned the vehicle after ordering the suspect to get out of the car. They burned the van and robbed him of R470, his driver's license, and his cellphone. One of the suspects was arrested as he tried to flee the scene.

Hijacking incidents

A motorist shot dead three hijackers in October 2024 on the N1 near Soweto, Johannesburg. The suspects tried to stop a man in a white bakkie. They posed as a police officer and forced him out of the car. The motorist opened fire during a scuffle and killed three men.

A CCTV video showed members of the Ekurhuleni metro police helping blue-light hijackers hijack a security vehicle. The footage shows how the officers stopped the security vehicle drivers and asked them a few questions before the hijackers appeared from behind and hijacked the van.

What did South Africans say?

Newtizens commenting on IOL's Facebook post were upset by the incident.

Gladys Malesa said:

"We live with sick, evil people among us."

Lloyd Letts said:

"Most are shown how to commit a crime at a young age. Unfortunate position we are in. Nothing is safe anymore."

Thato Maleta said:

"They are taking the concept of breadwinner to a whole new level."

George Mkhgwanazi said:

"These thugs are now desperate and must be given hard labour community service once arrested."

Armien Bassett said:

"So they did the job but kept the money."

Coffin hijacked in broad daylight

In a related article, Briefly News reported that a coffin was hijacked in broad daylight in October 2024. A video of the incident went viral, leaving social media buzzing.

A TikTok user shared a video of the alleged hijacking of the hearse. The video shows how the undertaker was attacked, kicked, and robbed by the hijackers. They then entered the hearse and drove off with the dead body inside.

"South Africa is a movie. Even the dead can be robbed," a netizen said.

Source: Briefly News