.Jozini car owners in northern KwaZulu-Natal are bracing themselves for increased cross-border crime as the festive season gets in full swing. Jozini has in the past seen a high rate of theft of vehicles taken across the border.
Residents of the area next to South Africa and Mozambique border say there has been a resurgence of vehicle theft since the last week of November.
The thrill of driving his 2-month-old Toyota Hilux was still fresh when Bongumusa Qwabe was robbed by a gang of criminals. Qwabe was sleeping alone at his home in Jozini when he was awakened by several men who broke into the house.
He recalls that the gun-toting thieves began by beating him up, demanding that he hands over his gun. When they finally accepted that he doesn’t own one, they then asked for his car keys.
Qwabe says the men then tied him up, forced him into the back of the bakkie, and drove with him toward the border.
“There were guys who were watching me while I was there. Then after they released me I just tried to find my way to the nearest place where I can get help. Luckily while I was walking through that bush I found a house where I asked for a phone so that I can contact my family,” says Qwabe.
Qwabe’s near-death encounter is one of many. Thulani Mpontshane was returning from a filling garage when he was ambushed after parking his bakkie in his yard. He remembers that he was held hostage for over 8 hours by his attackers’ accomplices at a forest near the border while his attackers drove away with his Toyota Hilux.
“They left me with big men who carried AK-47s and short guns. They abused me a lot. They were demanding money saying I can’t be driving such a beautiful car yet can’t afford to give them R100 or R50 000,” recounts Mpontshane.
The owner of this bakkie was fortunate that the engine suddenly switched off as the thieves were driving away with it. He recalls a similar modus operandi of being forced into the bakkie and being driven towards the border.
“They were being disturbed by passing vehicles as they were busy trying to restart the car. Every time a vehicle will approach we would hide in the bush so they decided to leave me with the car,” another victim explains.
The community policing forum believes that this is the workings of a highly connected criminal syndicate.
“I wrote to Minister Bheki Cele requesting him to visit Jozini regarding this rampant crime but he failed. As we speak to you I have written a letter to him on 14 October asking him again. We are also engaging with Mozambican authorities, they told us that they don’t mind impounding stolen vehicles but our governments must first meet and agree,” explains Community Policing Forum Deputy Chairperson, Mfana Ngubane.
Attempts to get a comment from the police were unsuccessful. -Reporting by Bongani Gema
