Makhado Municipality's spokesperson, Mr Louis Bobodi, became another victim of violent crime when he was hijacked at gunpoint by two men at his home in Ha-Mashau Thenga in the Levubu policing area on Wednesday, 3 August.
According to police spokesperson Brig Motlafela Mojapelo, the incident occurred when Bobodi arrived home from work on the said day. Bobodi entered through the gate at his house and parked his bakkie (engine still running) in the driveway in front of the garage. He got out to close and lock the gate, when he was suddenly confronted by two unknown men. One of the men was pointing a pistol at Bobodi and ordered him to lie down. He was allegedly kicked while the other man got into the bakkie and reversed it out of the driveway. The man with the gun fired two shots before they drove away with the silver-grey Toyota Hilux double-cab, registration FPZ 505L, and two cellphones. The suspects, who allegedly spoke Tsonga, were heading towards Bungeni village.
The police expressed their concern over the escalation in the smuggling of vehicles. Mojapelo confirmed that two other cases of stolen Toyota double-cab bakkies have also been reported – one at the Waterval SAPS (on 6 August), and the other at the Vuwani SAPS (on 12 August). He has appealed to members of the public to be on the lookout and report any suspicious activity to the police.
The deputy chairperson of the community policing forum (CPF) in Vhembe, Mr John Sadiki, said stolen luxury cars were popular with cross-border smugglers. Beitbridge, he said, was a lucrative gateway to smuggle cars (hijacked, stolen or illegally moved) from one country to another for use or sale. "The syndicate networks use nationals from two or more countries. They are able to source stolen vehicles, facilitate illegal border crossing and find buyers in other countries," Sadiki said.
He appealed to the government to come up with improved security measures to curb the smuggling of stolen vehicles. "As we all know, prevention is better than cure, but to prevent a hijacking situation, one needs to be equipped with the correct information and knowledge."