Cape Town and Joburg drivers face hijackings disguised as vehicle impounding

Drivers in Cape Town and Johannesburg are being warned about criminals who seize vehicles under the guise of impounding them, then demand cash before handing them back. The practice has hit private staff transport and scholar transport operators in Cape Town, with reports of similar incidents elsewhere in the country.

The warning was carried by The South African on 19 September, which reported that private individuals have no authority to impound a vehicle. MasterDrive chief executive Eugene Herbert put the legal position plainly in that report: when a person who is not a law enforcement officer takes your vehicle without your consent, it is a hijacking.

What the tactic looks like

The pattern reported is a hijacking wrapped inside an extortion demand. Some vehicles are allegedly taken to taxi rank offices, where owners are told to pay to get them back. That combination puts drivers who depend on their vehicles for an income in the most exposed position, because a day without the car is a day without pay, and a demand for cash lands on someone with no room to refuse.

Cape Town Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security JP Smith has previously raised concerns about what he described as mafia-style extortion and hijacking. Staff transport and scholar transport operators have faced intimidation and demands for money, and e-hailing drivers have encountered threats in parts of the country.

Herbert warned drivers against trying to recover a seized vehicle themselves. The people behind the crimes may be armed, which makes any confrontation dangerous. His advice to victims is to contact the South African Police Service immediately rather than negotiate directly with those responsible.

The numbers behind the warning

The latest SAPS crime statistics recorded 3 811 carjackings between April and June 2026, an average of about 41 vehicles a day. Gauteng recorded 2 207 of those cases, more than half the national total, and the Western Cape recorded 548.

Delft in Cape Town ranked as the country’s leading individual hijacking hotspot for the quarter, with almost 100 cases.

Those figures are the reason the warning matters beyond the two cities named. A hijacking is not only a stolen asset. It is a crime scene, an insurance claim, a court case that depends on whether a docket was opened, and for a driver on a scholar or staff route, it is a service that stops running for families who rely on it.

What drivers can do

Herbert urged motorists to stay alert in unfamiliar areas and when travelling early in the morning or late at night. Drivers should watch for vehicles following them and for people monitoring traffic from the roadside. Changing routes and travelling times where possible makes a driver’s movements less predictable.

Doors should stay locked and windows closed, particularly at intersections and in slow-moving traffic.

If hijackers confront a driver, Herbert advised against arguing or resisting. Motorists should stay calm, follow instructions and avoid sudden movements that could escalate the situation, then move to a safe location as soon as possible and report the crime to SAPS.

He stressed the importance of opening a criminal case even when a victim manages to recover the vehicle. Without formal complaints, police have fewer opportunities to identify patterns, investigate organised networks and prosecute those responsible. That point is the practical link between an individual incident and a police operation, and it is the one step a driver controls after the fact.

Source: The South African, Hijacking warning for Cape Town and Joburg motorists.