The South African Police Service has warned road users to be aware of several new tactics used by criminals to hijack vehicles, including mimicking traffic or police officials. “Following a number of carjacking incidents that were recently reported at various clusters within the province (North West), police urge motorists to…
Beware putting a tracking unit in your car
If you have a tracking unit in your car and it negatively affects the electronics of the vehicle, you may have to fork out to cover the repairs yourself. This is what happened to a MyBroadband reader recently after it was discovered that his tracking unit was rapidly draining his…
South Africa’s new driving demerit system is now law
President Cyril Ramaphosa has signed the controversial Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (Aarto) Bill into law. The legislation is perhaps known for its proposed introduction of a demerit system for South African drivers, and it is expected to fundamentally change driving in the country. Some of the biggest changes include: A…
Criminals are using ‘informants’ to target your home – here’s what you need to know
In 2016, Unisa’s School of Criminal Justice conducted research into understanding and preventing house robbery in South Africa. Based on in-depth interviews with convicted robbers they found that 8 out of 10 residential robberies are committed using information from domestic workers, gardeners and former employees. Charnel Hattingh, national marketing and…
South African hijackers are now using the ‘tap tap’ method – this is what you should look out for
As many as 45 hijackings incidents take place on South Africa’s roads daily, with criminals constantly finding new ways to dupe the public. Citing the latest SAPS statistics, ADT Fidelity said that most of these hijackings occur in Gauteng (23 per day), followed by KwaZulu-Natal (7 per day) and Western…
South Africa’s new road rules are coming – but there are problems
The Automobile Association has penned an open letter to the new transport minister, Fikile Mbalula, pointing to a number of areas that need urgent attention – including the new demerit system. “The AA believes in a points-based system, and the original concept is good. It will punish the bad, warn…
How hijackers are targeting South African drivers.
Due to sophisticated and organised criminal syndicates, incident rates of theft and hijacking have reached alarmingly high levels. This is according to Cartrack SA CEO, Harry Louw, who said that while it was difficult to identify specific areas as high-risk, there are a number of standout hijacking trends from Cartrack’s…