Mpumalanga becomes South Africa’s new vehicle hijacking hotspot
Tracker’s latest Vehicle Crime Index shows that Mpumalanga has joined the list of South Africa’s top hijacking hotspots, with incidents now three times more likely than vehicle thefts.
Tracker’s Vehicle Crime Index for January to June 2025 reveals that Mpumalanga has emerged as a new hotspot for vehicle hijackings.
Hijackings of business-owned vehicles occur at nearly double the rate of thefts nationwide.
In Mpumalanga, hijackings are three times more likely than thefts, marking the province as one of the country’s newest hijacking hotspots.
For personal vehicles, hijackings in Mpumalanga are twice as likely as thefts.
Hijackings are now mainly reported on Thursdays between 16:00 and 21:00, while theft continues to be most common on Saturdays between 11:00 and 16:00.
The report shows that business-owned vehicles are 48% more likely to be targeted than personally owned vehicles, with hijackings largely driving this increase. Incidents are increasingly occurring during the week rather than on weekends.
“Crime trends change over time and the shifting pattern of hijackings shows that they can happen anytime, anywhere, making it essential to remain alert to your surroundings,” said Duma Ngcobo, chief operating officer at Tracker.
According to the police stats earlier this year, eMalahleni is on the podium for hijackings.
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