Hijackers have a new target in South Africa

Hijackers and other criminals are increasingly targetting delivery drivers in South Africa, vehicle tracking group Tracker warns.

Tracker noted that online retail and home deliveries have become more popular in the country since te Covid-19 pandemic, and more groups are pushing same-day delivery services to meet this growing demand.

Unfortunately, this trend has also paved a way from increased criminal behaviour, it said.

“Crime targeting delivery vans and delivery motorcycles has also increased. Left unchecked, this insidious crime will negate the positive impact of the e-commerce growth,” it said.

With Amazon launching in South Africa in 2024, and Takealot trialing services like a 1-hour delivery service, Tracker said there are concerns that hijackings and theft targeting delivery drivers will escalate.

“Regrettably, crime aimed at online deliveries proves highly lucrative, whether the objective is acquiring the delivered goods, seizing cash or devices carried by drivers, or commandeering the delivery vehicle.

“While the latest South African Police Service (SAPS) crime statistics noted a slight decline in the percentage of truck or courier van hijackings as compared to the same quarter a year ago, the total number of truck or courier van hijackings increased compared to the prior three-month period and has been steadily increasing for the past few years,” it said.

While South Africa is not alone in this trend, Tracker noted that criminal activity overseas tends to be more opportunistic – whereas targets in South Africa are premeditated, planned and systematic. South Africa also has to contend with the opportunities afforded to criminals by load shedding, where they gain the advantage of darkness.

“These robberies are likely to affect drivers, customers, e-commerce businesses and ultimately the economy.

“Firstly, through the immediate danger and trauma to the driver and customer involved. The driver involved might think twice about returning to work, and the customer might reconsider buying online.

“The more these incidents occur, the more likely the reputation regarding the safety and reliability of online deliveries will suffer, which could deter people from buying online,” Tracker said.

This won’t be the only cost to e-commerce businesses, as the losses from the crime could increase the cost of insurance and lead to an increase in delivery prices.

Tracker said that companies should take the initiative and work to protect drivers to mitigate the effects of the criminal activity.

This would include:

• Provide support to drivers, and subsequently customers, through a safety checklist and guidance or training on how to avoid an incident.
• Have insurance to cover unforeseen expenses and offer access to services like trauma counselling should an incident occur.
• Encourage drivers to report incidents and keep track of these to identify high-risk areas. Consider alternative solutions for these areas, like storage lockers.
• Assess whether additional checks and restrictions for customers, for example no cash-on-delivery for first-time orders, might mitigate some risks.
• Adopt preventative technology like onboard dashcams and vehicle tracking.

“While we’re not advocating for legislation in this regard, at the very least collaboration within the e-commerce supply chain to find solutions and make delivery vehicles less of a target could help mitigate the effects of this crime.

“This is particularly important when you consider that many of the delivery drivers are small businesses providing an external supplier service, and their livelihood could be jeopardised in the event of an incident,” Tracker said.

Read: Insurers now insist on two tracking devices as hijacking claims skyrocket in South Africa