Police warned Silverton commuters to avoid hitching rides at the N1 and N4 intersection, which is a robbery hotspot.
Commuters should instead use authorised areas such as taxi ranks to get transportation.
This is after police recovered suspected stolen goods such as a firearm licence, several identity documents, a handbag and some clothing at the popular pick-up spot.
“We suspect that criminals robbed commuters of their belongings at the intersection and threw away the items they did not want in the nearby bushes,” said police spokesperson Captain Jan Sepato.
Police also often received complaints about robberies at the intersection, said Sepato.
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“When some people go to Zimbabwe or Mozambique, they hitchhike at this intersection and easily fall victim to robbers,” he said.
“Police have been tasked to monitor the intersection and one of our officers came across these items when he decided to check whether there were any suspicious people lurking about.”
Apart from crime, Sepato highlighted other dangers of hitching rides, especially on busy roads.
“Cars usually travel at high speeds on national roads and hitchhikers might get hit,” he said.
He advised commuters to stop hitching and instead use taxi ranks, bus stops or other regulated places to get transport.
He added that anyone who has been robbed at the intersection could go and identify their belongings at the Silverton police station.
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