Issued by: Department of Justice
Car hijacking has become the most feared crime for South African motorists, particularly those staying or frequenting Gauteng Province to such an extent that, most night drivers religiously choose to risk getting hefty traffic fines by ignoring yield and stop signs for fear of becoming victims of this violent crime.
Car-hijacking is so serious that Mr Bulelani Ngcuka, the National Director of Public Prosecution echoed every driver's sentiment when he openly admitted that "Life is hell" for the majority of South Africans.
This reality is however set to change with the advent of the Ngcuka led Anti-hijacking Initiative which has united existing SAPS anti-hijacking efforts with a team of prosecutors and detectives based in the courts and offices around Johannesburg.
This Initiative aimed at more rapid and efficient prosecution of offenders, with greater involvement of victims and interested members of the public brings in two new resources to the prosecution of car hijacking cases in Johannesburg:
Since March 1, all serious car related crimes from all Johannesburg Police Stations and the SAPS anti-hijacking unit, previously split between multiple courts with little coordination, are now directed to the Task Force for early case assessment. Following assessment, the Task Force then directs further investigation and prosecutes cases aggressively in the Regional courts. Finally together with the police, IDOC, and the community, the Task Force analyses patterns of cases and engages in problem-solving efforts with local communities, police, and other stakeholders to develop further strategies to prevent car hijacking.
Based upon requirements set forth in the National Prosecuting Autority Act, the Anti-hijacking Initiative was designed to develop the following:
The Initiative has been designed to demonstrate that a replicable strategic enforcement effort, uniting prosecution, police, and community, can achieve real reductions in crime. The goal is not just to reduce hijacking, but to inspire and instruct similar strategic efforts against other crime problems.
Prior to launching this initiative, the prosecution service at Johannesburg Magistrates Court did not have a unit specialising on car hijacking cases. A car jijacking case was treated like any other case and distributed to any available prosecutor, actually in most cases, vertical prosecution was used, meaning that a different prosecutor handled the docket at each court appearance.
The result was that sometimes good police investigation was not always met by an equally good prosecution at court, and vice versa. This has however changed drastically and the unit is gradually gaining ground. The Unit also had some dramatic early successes, uncovering and arresting kingpins in hijacking syndicates operating from Mozambique, Pretoria and Sandton in the last two months.
The Anti-hijacking Initiative is bringing together representatives from a diverse range of organisations and fields, including the MEC for Safety and Security in Gauteng, community-based organisations, women's groups, religious institutions, community police forums, Business Against Crime, and NGOs to build and broaden community participation on the Task Force, a critical component of the work of the initiative.
While the Initiative does not purport to eliminate car hijacking in Johannesburg, it will hopefully create a credible model for speedy, and effective prosecutions. If successful, the Initiative will become an effective tool to combat car hijacking and will also hopefully bring an end to the equally dangerous driver's habit of ignoring stop signs for fear of being hijacked.
ISSUED BY: SIMON NGOMANE
DIRECTOR: LIAISON AND INFORMATION SERVICES
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE, PRETORIA
TEL: (012) 3151731
CELL: 082 491 3505
28 June 1999