Recently a 25-year-old woman from Phalaborwa was raped after she asked for a lift from town to Makhushane. The driver allegedly deviated from the route towards the industrial area. He apparently stopped the vehicle, threatened her with a firearm, and tied her up. He then raped her and robbed her of money and her handbag. He took a photo of her and drove off leaving her at the scene.

In another incident, a man was robbed at gunpoint after he was offered a lift to Haenertsburg from Tzaneen on the R71 road by a group of three men driving a white Polo sedan. They left him in the bushes in Politsi and drove off. The incident was reported to the police and a case was opened. At the Siyandhani crossroads hiking spot along the R81in Giyani, a similar case was reported after a man was robbed of his cellphone and money when he was offered a lift.

Also read: A group of armed robbers targets hitchhikers at Siyandhani crossroads

One of the suspects posed as a fellow hitchhiker. The R71 road travelling to and from Tzaneen, Polokwane, Giyani, Hoedspruit, or Phalaborwa is considered a hotspot for hitchhiking crimes. Other roads are the R81 and N1. Sgt Maurice Nkhwashu of the Tzaneen Police Station, says he believes that syndicates are responsible for the crimes.

They are believed to have people at hiking spots identifying potential victims. “These people usually approach the unsuspecting hitchhikers, asking them where they are going trying to find out if they have any valuable items and money on them. The syndicates now also target motorists, where they pretend to be hitchhikers, and along the way, they rob the driver.”

The vehicles reported to the police are Polos (white, blue, and silver), a BMW, a Honda hatchback, a white Corolla, and an Audi. “Always use public transport or your own car,” Nhkwashu concludes.