VANDERBIJLPARK – The recent spate of hijackings in the Vaal area, including incidents in and around Evaton and Orange Farm, is causing serious concern among passenger transport services.

Taljaard Taxi’s, which has been operating in the Vaal for more than 70 years, has fallen victim to three hijackings in a short period of time.

“As a company operating a fleet of meter taxis, the safety of our passengers, drivers and vehicles is our highest priority. Unfortunately, the reality is that a vehicle entering a high-risk area can become a target, and criminals can make use of legitimate transport services to gain access to vehicles and drivers,” says Frits Terblanche, co-owner of Taljaard Taxi’s.

The first incident was on August 15, at around 20:00.

Three perpetrators got in the vehicle close to a clinic in Orange Farm, restrained the driver, put him in another vehicle, and basically kept him hostage for about three hours, until the vehicle had completely been stripped.

Luckily, they then released the driver. What was left of the vehicle was recovered by Cartrack at around 23:00.

The second incident occurred only ten days later, at around 21:00. Three men got into the vehicle at a pub/social gathering place in Sebokeng. This vehicle has still not been recovered.

The latest incident was on September 3, around 19:30. In this case, the hijackers tried to restrain the driver, but when a random vehicle approached, the driver saw his chance, jumped out, and cried for help. The hijackers left the vehicle and fled the scene.

Safety first

Following the recent incidents, it has been decided to introduce a client verification procedure before passengers enter taxis. E-hailing companies like Uber and Bolt also identify customers, as they need to register on the E-Haling apps.

“We understand that some passengers may initially find this inconvenient or may ask why verification is necessary. The answer is simple: we need to know who we are transporting to improve the safety of everyone involved,” says Terblanche.

“This procedure is not intended to treat our clients as criminals, nor is it intended to invade anyone’s privacy. It is a preventative security measure. Knowing the identity of a passenger creates an additional layer of accountability and can assist our company and the South African Police Service”.

Terblanche made it clear that personal information must be handled responsibly. Any information collected for security purposes will be limited to what is necessary, kept secure and treated in accordance with the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA).

Wake-up call

What happened to Taljaard Taxi’s is, without a doubt, a wake-up call for other taxi operators, as well as individual transport operators.

“Our drivers and clients have families waiting at home. Every journey should end with everyone safely reaching their destination,” concludes Terblanche.

* Footage of the hijackers was captured on CCTV, and one of the men involved left his phone in the taxi. This may help lead to arrests.