Private vehicles are allegedly being taken by individuals linked to local taxi associations, who later demand payment for the return of the vehicles.
Private motorists and scholar transport drivers in Cape Town are facing a new wave of intimidation, with reports of vehicles being seized by individuals linked to local taxi associations.
Mayoral Committee Member for
Safety and Security JP Smith has condemned the acts as outright hijacking and
extortion, warning that those behind the so-called “impoundments” are targeting
the city’s most vulnerable. "This is not an impoundment; it's a plain and
simple matter of hijacking and extortion, and it is disgraceful. It really
irritates me, because very often it is aimed at quite vulnerable people being
taken home from work, at difficult shift hours or scholar transport”.
Smith claimed that these actions are tied to elements within the taxi industry, with recovered vehicles sometimes found alongside illegal firearms and large sums of cash. He urged victims to report cases to the city’s call center on 021 480 7700 and to open criminal cases so that proper action can be taken.
Smith said that fear of
retaliation often deters victims from pressing charges, but he stressed that
failing to act only enables the syndicates. "We will retrieve that
vehicle, arrest the persons for hijacking - it is a serious offence - but on
condition that the person is willing to open a case because what generally
happens to these matters is that the persons are not willing to open criminal
cases. So, they want us to recover the vehicle, and then just let it be, but
those extortionists just keep on doing what they do, so it's imperative that
you're willing to open a case."
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