Business-owned vehicles almost 50% more likely to be targeted by criminals, latest stats show
Business-owned vehicles face a much greater risk of hijacking.
Image: Independent Media
South Africa has a horrendous vehicle crime rate, particularly in Gauteng, but those driving business-owned vehicles face an even greater risk than regular vehicle owners.
According to data recently released by Tracker, based on over 1.1 million customers tracked from January to June 2025, business-owned vehicles are 48% more likely to be targeted than personally-owned vehicles.
Alarmingly, 57% of this crime occurs in Gauteng.
The research also found that nationally, business-owned vehicles are almost twice as likely to be hijacked than stolen.
In fact, the risk of hijacking is five times higher than theft in the Western Cape, while in the Eastern Cape it’s four times more likely and in Mpumalanga, three times. Mpumalanga is fast becoming a hijacking hotspot, Tracker added.
When it comes to personal vehicles, the proportion of hijackings and thefts is roughly equal; however, in the Eastern Cape, hijackings are five times more likely than theft, and twice as likely in Limpopo and Mpumalanga.
Tracker’s data also shows that hijackings have shifted from the weekend to weekdays, with Thursday between 4pm and 9pm being the most common time on Monday.
However, it does differ by region, with hijackings in Gauteng being most common on Tuesdays between 11am and 4pm. Wednesday is the most common day for hijackings in the Western Cape (6am - 11am) and KwaZulu-Natal (4pm - 9pm).
Nationally, most car thefts occur on a Saturday, however, between 11am and 4pm.
The latest statistics underline the importance of situational awareness, in addition to the usual technological and tracking solutions, said Eugene Herbert, CEO of MasterDrive.
“Employee situational awareness is a critical frontline defence against vehicle crime. Businesses must prioritise comprehensive upskilling that teaches employees to recognise threats, assess risk in different environments, and make split-second decisions that could save their lives.”
Herbert said teaching employees to always operate with situational awareness reduces their potential exposure to suspicious behaviour, helps them recognise when they are being followed, and equips them with the know-how of how to react in this scenario.
“This includes awareness of vulnerable locations such as driveways, traffic intersections, and parking areas where carjacking is most common,” he added.
“When employees face greater risk, it is a critical skill to understand the importance of varying routes, remain alert to surroundings and avoid distractions, while trusting one’s instincts when something feels wrong.”
When prevention fails, knowing how to safely extract yourself from the vehicle will be critical to your survival, Herbert said.
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Duma Ngcobo, COO at Tracker, says technological solutions can also mitigate the risk to a large degree.
“Businesses, in particular, can take proactive steps to mitigate risk by implementing technologies such as AI-powered fleet dashcams with facial recognition, 360-degree cameras, safe zone management, cargo door sensors, and emergency driver assist buttons,” Ngcobo said.
“Additionally, subscribing drivers to rapid emergency armed response services can further enhance safety.”
IOL Motoring