According to the latest South African Police Service (SAPS) crime statistics for October to December 2025, 4,420 carjacking cases were reported nationwide. This equates to an average of 48 vehicles hijacked per day. Gauteng province recorded 2,567 cases, accounting for 53.4% of the national total. Other provinces reported the following: Western Cape 694, KwaZulu-Natal 599, Eastern Cape 414, Mpumalanga 263, North West 133, Limpopo 93, Free State 35, and Northern Cape
Truck hijackings numbered 413 in the same October-December 2024 period, down 67 cases or 14.0% from the prior year. Gauteng accounted for 249 truck hijackings, or 60.3% of the national total.
SAPS data for October-December 2024 shows 48 murders where the causative factor was recorded as “hijacking and attempts.” In the same quarter, 162 cases of attempted murder and 14 cases of assault with intent to inflict grievous bodily harm (GBH) were linked to hijacking and attempts.
For the full 2023/24 financial year, SAPS recorded 22,735 carjackings (approximately 62 per day) and 1,976 truck hijackings.
The Statistics South Africa Governance, Public Safety and Justice Survey (GPSJS) 2023/24 reports that 287,000 individuals aged 16 and older experienced motor vehicle hijacking. Of these victims, 61.6% sustained injuries during the incident. Among the injured, a significant proportion required medical attention. Weapons were used in 68.3% of hijacking incidents, with guns deployed in 72.5% of those cases.
The GPSJS 2024/25 release indicates that the number of individuals aged 16 and older who experienced hijacking over the past five years rose to 340,000, reflecting an 18.5% increase from the 2023/24 figure. Public experience of hijackings increased by 25.9% between 2024 and 2025, with approximately 102,000 individuals affected in that period. Approximately 23% of hijackings go unreported to police.
Hijacking incidents frequently occur in residential streets (42.8% of cases) or while victims are travelling in a motor vehicle. Kidnapping cases reported to SAPS are predominantly linked to hijackings, robberies, or rape, with Gauteng recording the majority.
These figures represent reported and surveyed incidents involving innocent civilians targeted during routine activities such as driving, commuting, or leaving home. SAPS quarterly data consistently show carjackings and truck hijackings as subcategories of aggravated robbery, directly tied to the recorded murders, attempted murders, and GBH assaults detailed above.
Durban Police Shoot and Kill Four Suspects in Bellair Hideout Operation
DURBAN – Police in KwaZulu-Natal have fatally shot four suspects during an operation at a suspected hideout in the Bellair area of Durban.
The incident occurred on Monday, 23 March 2026, when officers tracked the group, who were wanted in connection with business robberies, house robberies and kidnapping cases.
According to police details, officers spotted the suspects’ vehicle in the area and attempted to stop it. The suspects fled from the vehicle and took refuge inside a house that authorities identified as their hideout spot.
A shootout broke out during the police operation at the property. Four suspects were shot and killed. Two were fatally wounded inside the house, one was shot behind the house, and the fourth was shot in the bushes at the rear of the property.
One additional suspect managed to escape and remains at large.
Police recovered four firearms from the scene.
The operation formed part of ongoing efforts to apprehend the group linked to the series of robberies and kidnappings in the province. No further injuries to police members or members of the public were reported.
One-Year-Old Girl Fatally Struck by Minibus Taxi in Heideveld
HEIDELVELD – A one-year-old girl died after being run over by a minibus taxi outside her home in Grace Court, Heideveld, on Sunday, 22 March, at approximately 2:30pm.
The child suffered fatal injuries in the collision and was declared dead at the scene. Emergency services responded to the incident, but the toddler could not be revived.
Manenberg police have opened a case of culpable homicide and reckless and negligent driving following the accident. The circumstances surrounding the crash remain under investigation, and no arrests have been made at this stage.
Police spokesperson Captain FC van Wyk confirmed that officers from the Manenberg station are actively probing the matter. Authorities are urging anyone with additional information about the incident to contact Manenberg SAPS on 021 699 9400 or the Crime Stop hotline at 08600 10111.
The family of the young victim has not been named publicly, and further details about the driver or the taxi involved have not yet been released as the probe continues.
Labour Law Attorney Chinette Gallichan Shot and Killed Outside CCMA Offices in Johannesburg CBD
Johannesburg – A 35-year-old labour law attorney, Chinette Gallichan, was shot and killed outside the CCMA offices in the Johannesburg CBD on Monday morning while arriving to handle a case.
According to eyewitnesses, a suspect approached Gallichan at close range as she arrived for her matter and opened fire before fleeing the scene. Nothing was stolen from her, leading investigators to treat the killing as a possible targeted hit.
Gallichan was a respected legal professional known for her work in labour law. She was also an active runner who participated in the local athletics community. Her death has left both the legal fraternity and the running community in shock.
Police have launched a full investigation into the incident.
The killing has drawn widespread condemnation from colleagues and fellow athletes, who described Gallichan as a dedicated professional and passionate community member whose sudden loss has reverberated across Johannesburg’s legal and sporting circles.
No further details on suspects or motive have been released by authorities at this stage, but the South African Police Service confirmed they are actively pursuing leads.
Gallichan leaves behind a grieving family, colleagues, and friends in the legal and athletics communities.
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KZN Police Chief Presents Prison Letter to Parliament Claiming Businessman Transported Furniture to Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala Farm
KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi has handed over a handwritten letter from a former prisoner to Parliament’s Ad Hoc Committee. The letter alleges that businessman Vusimuzi Cat Matlala told his former cellmate he had delivered furniture, including couches, to President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala farm in Limpopo.
The eight-page letter was written by Jermaine Prim, who shared a cell with Matlala at Kgosi Mampuru Correctional Facility. According to the document, Matlala described himself as very close to the Ramaphosa family and spoke about transporting items to the property.
Phala Phala farm is the site of a 2020 burglary in which a large amount of foreign currency, reportedly hidden inside furniture, was stolen. The break-in triggered investigations into possible money laundering, undeclared cash holdings and claims of interference by law enforcement officials. The case has not been finalised and continues to face court challenges. Independent Police Investigative Directorate reports linked to the matter were declassified only recently.
Lieutenant General Mkhwanazi tabled the letter during his testimony to the parliamentary committee. He told members that the contents amount to unverified hearsay and still require proper investigation. He added that some information in the letter matches details from earlier intelligence gathered by police.
The commissioner also highlighted problems with prison management at the time, saying oversight failures allowed Matlala access to freedoms not normally granted to inmates.
The Presidency has issued no statement on the specific claims contained in the letter.
Opposition parties have demanded immediate steps to verify the information in the document. They have warned that any confirmation of the claims could introduce new elements to the long-running Phala Phala matter that has affected the president since the 2020 incident.
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