Residents should drive with eyes in the back of their heads these days.

In the recent past, a lot of hijackings took place, leaving many worried and feeling unsafe on the roads.

In the first instance, the victim was driving with his friend when they decided to stop and purchase airtime.

They stopped at a local tuck shop in Empumelelweni, leaving his vehicle keys in the ignition. Upon returning to his vehicle, three unknown males approached the victim.

One of the assailants took out a firearm and pointed it at the victim, demanding they step away from the vehicle.

The two victims ran off, leaving the vehicle and two cellphones.

In the second instance, Vosman Police received a complaint of gunshots in Extension 14.

On their arrival, they found a badly injured male who appeared to have been shot. While struggling to talk, the victim said that he was an Uber driver and was commissioned to collect three occupants in the Central Business District (CBD).

As the victim arrived with the passengers in Extension 41, one of the assailants pulled out a firearm and directed it at the victim.

The three hijackers instructed the victim to exit his vehicle and when he did so, the gun-wielding hijacker shot the victim several times and sped off with the victim’s vehicle.

Another case of hijacking happened in Springbok Street, Reyno Ridge when he was approached by three males.

According to reports, all three of the assailants had a firearm, which they used to intimidate the victim.

The hijackers forced the victim into the back of the vehicle, where they tied him up with rope.

The assailants proceeded to drive with the victim, eventually dropping him off in the bushes and fleeing with the victim’s vehicle.

In another case, Mr Mandla Mokone was dropping his brother off at his residence when two unknown and armed men approached them, standing on both sides of the vehicle.

They instructed that Mokone and his brother stay in the vehicle.

The brother was dropped off at an unknown location because they could not get him into the boot of the vehicle.

Mokone was forced back into the vehicle when he tried to escape with his brother, but the assailants pushed him back into the vehicle and covered his face with a jacket.

“I was not aware of where I was or where they were taking me. They tried to strip my vehicle looking for a tracker device. They also took my cellphone and demanded cash,” said Mokone.

Luckily for Mokone and his brother, no one got seriously injured in the hijacking.

“They dropped me off outside Kwaggafontein; at first I did not know where I was. When the robbers let me go, they sped off, and I had to find a lift back to eMalahleni,” said Mokone.

According to Mokone, his vehicle did have a tracking device and was found the next day in Kwaggafontein with only the side panels removed in a bid to find a tracker device.

Luckily, the vehicle was left there as is and could be recovered.

Vosman Police Spokesperson Captain Vusi Mnisi said that carjackings are currently on a decrease, but cautioned residents to be more vigilant.

“Residents should especially be vigilant during load-shedding times. It will also be vital to form a WhatsApp group for each street to share any suspicious activities to help curb robberies and hijackings.” Mnisi also urged residents to not have any valuables or large sums of money in their possession when driving, as it can put a target on their back.

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