The suburb with the most reported hijackings in South Africa
Ivory Park suburb in Midrand, Gauteng, saw the most reported hijackings in the first three months of 2025.
This is according to the South African Police Service’s (SAPS) latest quarterly crime statistics for the fourth quarter of 2024/25—January to March 2025.
Despite South Africa having seen a decrease in hijackings year-on-year, the number of hijackings remains high.
Presenting the latest quarterly crime statistics, the SAPS noted that 4,533 cars were hijacked over the three months.
This is a significant 15.1% decrease compared to the first three months of 2024. However, this equates to approximately 50 cars being stolen daily, which is still a notable concern.
This number worsens when you include the unreported incidents in the latest Victims of Crime (VoC) survey.
The VoC survey looks at crimes through the victim’s experience, including a significant number of crimes that go unreported in South Africa.
According to the report, the number of hijackings has declined by double digits, much like the SAPS data, decreasing by 28.9%.
However, this decline is from 114,000 incidents to 81,000, meaning the number of hijackings per day decreased from 312 to 222, which is still alarmingly high.
According to the SAPS, only one province experienced a year-on-year increase in hijackings for the most recent quarter: the North West. Interestingly, five provinces saw a significant decrease (>20%) in hijackings.
These where Mpumalanga (-35.4%), the Eastern Cape (-32.4%), Limpopo (-31.8%), Kwa-Zulu Natal (-25.7%), and the Western Cape (23.5%).
Carjackings are prevalent in South Africa’s most populous regions, such as Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, and the Western Cape.
Over the first three months in 2025, Gauteng saw 2,488 hijackings, representing 55% of all carjackings. Kwa-Zulu Natal saw 583 carjackings, and the Western Cape experienced 536 carjackings.
The suburb with the most hijackings
Looking at more granular station data for Q4 2024, Gauteng has the most hijackings per region, with Ivory Park in Midrand having the most cases.
Ivory Park is occupied by more than 182,000 people and is located in Midrand, in the Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality.
It is situated adjacent to the township of Tembisa in the neighbouring City of Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality.
Ivory Park recorded 67 incidents in the first three months, which is just under one hijacking every day. Mamelodi East followed this with 65 hijackings over the period, and Umlazi in KZN with 64.
Jabulani in Johannesburg, Gauteng, had the highest increase in reported cases, rising by 119% from 26 to 57 compared to last year.
Below are the top hijacking hotspots across the most populated provinces for the most recent quarter (January to March 2025).
Gauteng:
- Ivory Park
- Mamelodi East
- Akasia
- Jabulani
- Moroka
Kwa-Zulu Natal:
- Umlazi
- Bhekithemba
Western Cape:
- Delft
- Lingelethu-West
- Nyanga
- Mfuleni
- Harare
Targeted vehicles
Wahl Bartmann, CEO of Fidelity Group, told BusinessTech that vehicle hijackings are largely a business driven by demand and supply in South Africa.
Popular models are targeted due to the high demand for their parts or resale value, often through illicit markets.
For years, Toyota, Volkswagen, and Ford cars have been the most targeted vehicles, and this still holds true.
However, the rise of Chinese automakers in the South African market has introduced new targets. Fidelity ADT first flagged this in the middle of last year.
While Fidelity did not specify particular models, industry trends and sales data from Naamsa provide some insights.
The Haval Jolion and Chery Tiggo 4 Pro, which ranked among the top-selling cars at the end of 2024, are likely targets.
Larger SUVs like the Haval H6 and Chery Tiggo 7 Pro also remain popular among the brands and are thus at risk.
These vehicles join perennial favourites on hijackers’ lists, which are:
- VW Polo
- Toyota Hilux
- Ford Ranger
- Toyota Corolla Cross
- Toyota Fortuner
- Haval Jolion
- Chery Tiggo 4 Pro
- Haval H6
- Chery Tiggo 7 Pro
The SAPS’ latest data showed that 2,016 of the vehicles hijacked were sedans, hatchbacks, and coupes, followed by bakkies and panel vans, with 1,503 hijackings.
These vehicle segments represented 44% and 33% of all the hijacked cars over the most recent quarter.
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