South African Homeowners Warned of House Robbery Methods
- South African home owners have been warned to be vigilant for a new trend in which criminals target homes on specific days
- Criminals have recently started posing as interested buyers of properties to learn about their valuables and security
- Fidelity's Group Head of Marketing and Communications, Charnel Hattingh, spoke about the safety tips homeowners can follow
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With 10 years’ experience, Tebogo Mokwena, Briefly News’ Deputy Head of the Current Affairs desk, South Africa, provided insights into the criminal justice system, crime statistics, commissions of inquiry, and high-profile cases in South Africa at Daily Sun.
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GAUTENG — Fidelity has cautioned homeowners to be vigilant as robbers have resorted to using opportunities to enquire about buying homes to commit robberies.
According to BusinessTech, Fidelity's Group Head of Marketing and Communications, Charnel Hattingh, criminals have resorted to targeting homes on show days or open days to rob homes of their valuables. She said that the criminals make an appointment to view the house. They use this opportunity to assess the valuable items and the security of the house.
Precautions to protect your home
Hattingh added that homeowners can take precautions that can assist in preventing housebreakings. She said that these include locking valuables and hiding spare keys, and storing tools or laptops safely and out of sight.
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Hattingh also said that appointing someone to manage the events on show days is a good starting point. She recommended that visitors or prospective buyers should not walk around the premises unattended. Hattingh remarked that homeowners could also inform their private security providers to request additional patrols on show days.
2 Briefly News stories about crime
The KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Commissioner General, Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, said that 4,278 people were killed in the province between April to December 2024. He said that there was an 11% decrease in murders compared to the previous year. He also revealed that 105 suspects were killed in 38 shootouts from April to December 2024.
Tshwane experienced a sharp increase in kidnapping cases in the first three months of 2024. Child kidnappings are a common thread, and Pretoria Central Police Station had the most kidnappings at 22. Statista.com also revealed that 17,061 kidnapping incidents happened in South Africa in the 2023/2024 period. KwaZulu-Natal experiences 3,329 cases, while Gauteng recorded 8,683 kidnapping cases.
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5 of SA cities ranked as most dangerous
In a related article, Briefly News reported that five of South African cities were ranked among the most dangerous cities in the world. This was according to World Atlas, which released a ranking of dangerous cities in the world.
According to the ranking, Pietermaritzburg in KwaZulu-Natal and Tshwane in Gauteng were listed as the most dangerous cities in the world. Durban, Johannesburg, nd Port Elizabeth are also ranked among the most dangerous cities.
Residents in these cities reported that they were victims of armed robberies, home invasions, carjackings, and daylight muggings. The South African Police Service's crime statistics revealed a 66.7% increase in murder for the fourth quarter of the 2024/2025 period.
Source: Briefly News
