Businessman a reported casualty of hijack ‘trend’
"Business owners are advised that should they get a call-out for any form of service in these [remote] areas, they should arrange to meet their clients at the nearest police station. Police in the area should be consulted, to ensure they are not led into a trap and that the call out is indeed legitimate."
A recent statement by the Office of the Provincial Commissioner of KwaZulu-Natal, warns of a disturbing new hijacking ‘trend’ in NKZN.
In this scheme, brazen criminals take advantage of businessmen trying to make an honest living.
The statement read: “The public is cautioned to be aware of a new hijacking trend in the northern part of the province. It is alleged syndicates are targeting business owners, who will receive a call from a member of the gang requesting a call out for a quotation.”
Upon arriving at the call-out location, the victim is directed to a remote area by a member of the gang, where they are ambushed by armed robbers.
The robbers then take the vehicle and any possessions at gunpoint.
Due to the location of these robberies usually being far from a main road or police station, it can take the victims hours to get assistance.
In most cases, the stolen vehicles are taken across the border.
“Business owners are advised that should they get a call-out for any form of service in these [remote] areas, they should arrange to meet their clients at the nearest police station. Police in the area should be consulted, to ensure they are not led into a trap and that the call out is indeed legitimate.”
The confirmation of this warning hit closer to home recently, when a local businessman allegedly fell victim to such an attack over the weekend.
Condolences streamed in on social media after reports that the owner of Majuba Glass, Gert Pretorius was hijacked and murdered in the Emanguzi/Jozini area, in a manner which suggested his death may well have been at the hands of these hijacking syndicates.
AfriForum’s Louis Breytenbach urges businessmen to be vigilant if contacted by a potential client asking for an on-site quote.
Patrol Commander for Vryheid Neighbourhood Watch, Jacques Terblanche issued a similar warning, urging all Vryheid residents to download the Namola App which can help them in cases of emergency.
“Vryheid Neighbourhood Watch, Vryheid SAPS and AfriForum are all on Namola Watch and will be alerted quickly if you press the app’s panic button. It’s a very good app to have,” explained Terblanche.
Pieter Colloty suggested using the Whatsapp Live Location feature when heading into a situation where one might be placed in danger.
“For all traveling to an unknown area for a quotation or whatever reason, when you are getting close to the destination, share your own location to friends or a group to follow your movements,” he shared. “The Live Location feature allows you to share your real-time location for a specific amount of time with the participants of an individual chat or group. You can control whether and how long to share your live location, and you can also stop sharing your live location at any time.”
He explained participants in the chat or group would still be able to see the initial location you shared, as a static thumbnail image.
“Participants can then tap the thumbnail to see the last updated location.”
Click here to see how to share your live location in WhatsApp.
The Vryheid Herald extends its sincere condolences to the family and friends of Gert Pretorius.
Also read:Â One every 32 minutes – know how to stay safe during a hijacking
Also read:Â Family describes how Gert Pretorius was lured to his death
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