Johannesburg - The hijacking of a courier van carrying UK visa applications and supporting documents this week has left many worried about what will become of their personal information.
The van was hijacked in Meadowdale, Germiston, after three suspects, one in a metro police uniform, approached it at a stop street.
Police spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Lungelo Dlamini said the driver, who did not know what was in the parcels, was dropped off in Midrand by the hijackers.
“The van was later found by a tracking company in Kempton Park, abandoned. The parcels which were in the vehicle were no longer there,” he said.
Dlamini said that although the police couldn’t confirm the content of the parcels, the motive of the hijacking appeared to be to gain access to the packages.
Meanwhile, the British High Commission has sent an e-mail to visa applicants explaining what happened.
The applications were being transported from Pretoria to the visa applications centre in Joburg when the incident occurred.
The commission’s spokeswoman, Isabel Potgieter, said they were co-operating with the police’s investigation.
“We take the safety and protection of personal data very seriously,” she said.
“All those affected are being contacted directly, and UK Visas and Immigration is working closely with Teleperformance to ensure that customers are supported.”
Teleperformance is the company that handles the visa application centres.
The Star