Night of hijackings in KwaZulu-Natal gives rise to a hostage situation and a vehicle recovered in 30 minutes

Two people were injured on the R61 between Port Edward and Bizana when the car they were travelling in was hijacked and crashed by the hijackers, who then fled the scene. | Supplied

Two people were injured on the R61 between Port Edward and Bizana when the car they were travelling in was hijacked and crashed by the hijackers, who then fled the scene. | Supplied

Published Apr 6, 2022

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Durban – Monday night saw a number of hijacking or hijacking-related incidents, including the arrest of two men with a hijacked vehicle, hijackers taking vehicle occupants with them and a hijacked vehicle being recovered within 30 minutes of the incident.

Two men, aged 26 and 47, appeared in the Ntuzuma Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday for the possession of stolen property, a vehicle that was hijacked in December 2021.

Captain Lindani Mdletshe said on Monday at about 8pm, officers from the KwaMashu Crime Prevention Unit were conducting routine duties when they received intelligence information about a stolen vehicle.

“They proceeded to the identified address in G section, where police officers found a white Corsa bakkie parked on the premises. A preliminary investigation was conducted and it was established that the vehicle was hijacked in the Greenwood Park area in December 2021. The two suspects were placed under arrest and charged for Section 36,” Mdletshe said.

In another incident, also on Monday night, two people were left injured after the car they were travelling in was hijacked and crashed by the hijackers, who then fled the scene.

The KwaZulu Private Ambulance (KZPA) service responded to reports of a collision on the R61 between Port Edward and Bizana.

KZPA said its paramedics found that a driver had lost control of his vehicle, which left the road.

“Paramedics quickly assessed the scene and found that one patient sustained serious injuries and one patient sustained minor injuries,” KZPA said.

It said the patients were treated on scene before being transported to hospital for further treatment.

“According to the occupants of the car, they had been hijacked by four armed suspects near Port Shepstone and were being driven towards Bizana when the suspects lost control of the vehicle and crashed. The suspects then fled the scene, leaving the injured occupants in the vehicle,” KZPA said.

The VW Polo that was recovered within 30 minutes of it being hijacked. | Facebook

In another incident in Pietermaritzburg, on the same night, the Mi7 National Group recovered a hijacked vehicle within 30 minutes.

Spokesperson Colin Davids said just before 10pm, the group received notice of a vehicle that had been hijacked in the Imbali area.

Various Mi7 armed response teams, including the Strategic Threat Response Unit, were immediately dispatched after a request for assistance from the company responsible for the vehicle’s tracking system, Davids said.

“The last known co-ordinates of the vehicle, a white VW Polo, were shared. The vehicle was found abandoned near the R56 – about 30 minutes after the hijacking incident occurred,” Davids said.

“The vehicle was handed back to the owner.”

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