‘Bulletproofing my vehicle saved my life,’ says Gauteng would-be hijack victim

Not many South Africans have the luxury of having gunshots fired at their vehicle window and living to tell the tale. 

What should have been certain death for 46-year-old Gauteng cattle farmer Patrick Zungu (not his real name) during an attempted hijacking in December resulted in him simply replacing the window of his armoured vehicle. 

Zungu was followed by a group of armed men on his way home from Pretoria last year. 

“It was about 8.40pm when I realised a car had been following me. I slowed down because I thought maybe it was someone I knew. When I slowed down they overtook me and tried to run me off the road. I was surprised at what was going on. They came in front of me. Three guys got out of the vehicle and the driver remained inside. They were driving a dark green Mercedes-Benz CLA.”

I hardly heard a noise. A gunshot would usually shake you up, but it sounded like a raindrop.

—  Patrick Zungu, Gauteng farmer

The attackers surrounded his car. 

“One guy was standing on the passenger side, one in front of the vehicle and the other was on my side. They were speaking, but in an armoured car you cannot hear anything. In less than three seconds the guy on the driver’s side started shooting. He fired between three and four shots into my window hoping the bullets would penetrate. When I realised what was happening I accelerated to try to take out the guy in front of me. He moved and I hit their car. I reversed and rammed into the car again, and then they jumped in and fled.”

‘Sounded like raindrops’

Zungu said he was barely shaken up by the incident as the gunshots sounded like raindrops hitting his car. 

“Out of the gunshots they fired I hardly heard a noise. A gunshot would usually shake you up, but it sounded like a raindrop. They were really shocked when they realised my car was bulletproof. One of the guys even tried to shoot randomly into the rear right door and nothing happened. This car saved my life. Not everybody will be as lucky as I am.” 

The married father of four said he opted to get his SUV fully armour-plated about five years ago. 

“Back then it cost me about R1.2m for the full package, which includes armouring the roof and undercarriage of the vehicle.”

He said his decision was based on the amount of travelling he does, especially late at night in and around his farm. 

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“There are lots of farm robberies and murders. I am even considering getting my other vehicles armoured as well. If things go well I want to armour the cars I use when travelling between farms.” 

He said the main problem in SA was the lack of policing. 

“Police stations issue alerts warning the public of areas that are considered hotspots for hijackings and crime. How can we function as a country when our cops issue alerts and don’t actually go out to police the situation? All it would take is for police to go out and be visible in these hotspot areas, not just issue out alerts. As long as policing is as messy as it is in this country, we as citizens have no choice but to explore alternatives to protect ourselves, even if it will break our pockets.”

As criminals become more brazen in their attacks, many South Africans are now opting to have their vehicles armoured. 

Grant Anderson, MD at Armormax, one of the country’s vehicle armour manufacturers, said as long as assault weapons are freely available on the black market, there would always be a market for armoured vehicles. 

There has been a notable increase in corporates acquiring armoured vehicles for members of their executive committees, Anderson said.

“A recent trend is corporates now taking a serious stand in ensuring members of their executive committees are secured. They are paying a lot more attention to the safety of their members.” 

B4 vs B6

Anderson said there are two options when armouring a vehicle, the B4 entry level protection against handguns or, what Zungu had, the B6, high-level protection against rifles and even hand grenades. 

“The B4 is for your day-to-day crime encountered on SA’s roads, like being followed home from the shops and being hijacked and robbed. Our B4 conversions are exceptionally light, with most average SUVs adding about 180kg of weight. It is suited to medium-size vehicles like VW Golf’s all the way through to large SUVs like the Range Rover long-wheel base.”

He said the starting price for B4 protection would range between R648,000 and R782,000. 

“Our B6 conversions are ideally suited for threats from the calibres fired from assault rifles commonly found around the world. An extra 750kg is added onto the vehicle, and given this added weight and increase in asset value of a B6 conversion, it is best suited to large SUVs and sedans.”

He said a B6 conversion would cost between R1.3m for double-cabs and up to R1.8m for SUVs.

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“It takes about 20 working days for the vehicle to be fully converted for B4 protection and 55 days for a B6 conversion, which is a more complex build. For both the B4 and B6 conversions we have to strip the vehicle completely then begin installing armour-plating.”

Common vehicles and hotspots in SA

Anderson said their most common vehicles were Ford Rangers, Land Rover Defenders, Toyota Land Cruisers, Range Rovers and BMWs. 

He said the majority of their clients were from Gauteng, followed by KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape.

“Since starting in 2009 we have done in excess of 1,000 vehicles.” 

He said the smallest vehicle conversion they did to date was a 1.4 VW Golf 7 for a student. 

“About five years ago a client built that vehicle for his daughter who was starting university. That vehicle has since changed owners twice already.”

Weird requests

Armormax marketing manager Michael Broom said they had received several weird requests over the years, ranging from partially armoured vehicles to bulletproofing supercars. 

“The most common request we get is to partially armour a vehicle. One client even requested to have just his driver side window bulletproofed. We don’t accept such requests because it compromises what we stand for.” 

He said they even had a request to bulletproof the windows of a client who entered sound competitions. 

“One client inquired whether we would bulletproof his windows so it would prevent it from shattering during sound competitions.” 

Independent crime expert Johan Burger said it was no surprise South Africans were opting for extra protection. 

“People that can afford it, have increasingly over the years invested in their protection,for example, electronic and physical barriers at home and at businesses. Some may have even gone as far as to include armed security reaction services and armed guards.

“As our crime levels have been on the increase for more than a decade, in particular kidnapping for ransom, hijacking and assassinations, it is to be expected that there will be a concomitant upgrade in levels of security.”

“There is also the decline in the capacity and effectiveness of the police that further stimulates reliance on own initiatives and expense to fill the gaps left by the ability of the state to provide adequate levels of safety and security,” he said. 

Burger emphasised, however, that the extent of South Africans being able to upgrade their security would be dependent on the financial means of individuals and groups.