#CrimeStats | Townships are SA's car hijacking hot spots

Most of the more than 16,000 car hijackings that were reported in the year from April 1 2018 to March 31 this year occurred in townships.

According to the crime statistics released in parliament on Thursday morning, 15,098 cars were hijacked in townships.

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"More incidences of carjackings are happening in the townships and inner cities than any other place," the statistics indicated. 

More than 1,500 cars were hijacked in city centres, 110 on national highways, 97 in suburbs, and one at a port of entry. 

The most car hijackings were reported at Nyanga police station in the Western Cape.

The statistics revealed that 12,857 drivers were threatened with a weapon of some kind, mostly a firearm. This was the most-used modus operandi in committing the crime.

In 12 cases, a brick was used while in five other hijackings an axe was the weapon of choice.

At least 351 drivers reported that hijackers had "knocked on the window or another part of the vehicle" to hijack them.

In 14 cases, objects were thrown on the road as part of the modus operandi. 

In 51 cases, hijackers used a fake stop and go detour to target their victims. 

In four cases, drivers were poisoned.