Hijacking

Metro FM presenter Tbo Touch is warning others about a hijacking practise taking place in Rivonia, Johannesburg.
Image via Twitter
@iamtbotouch

‘Don’t stop for this car!’: Tbo Touch warns of hijacking trend in Jozi

‘Don’t stop if this car tries to pull you over’: Metro FM host Tbo Touch issued a warning after his attempted hijacking ordeal this week.

Hijacking

Metro FM presenter Tbo Touch is warning others about a hijacking practise taking place in Rivonia, Johannesburg.
Image via Twitter
@iamtbotouch

Metro FM presenter Tbo Touch is lucky to be alive after almost becoming a victim of a hijacking this week.

And what’s just as unnerving is that the culprits in question pretended to be a part of the South African Police Service.

TBO TOUCH WARNS FOLLOWERS OF CRIMINAL PRACTICE

In a since-deleted tweet, Tbo Touch posted: “I got pulled over by suspected highjackers pretending to be cops in a white BMW 3 series in Rivonia. Don’t stop if this car tries to pull you over rather drive to the nearest police or safe area”.

Although he didn’t go into details about the hijacking attempt itself, the Metro FM afternoon drive host did claim he was lucky to be alive.

He added: “Just to wake and see another a day is a blessing all by itself. Have a blessed weekend family and let’s continue to pray for one another!”.

Tbo Touch is not the only celeb in SA to have been a target of a hijacking. In 2020, fellow, Metro FM presenter Criselda Kananda survived a hijacking incident while driving through Khayelitsha.

Former Miss SA and Miss Universe Demi-Leigh Tebow (nee Nel-Peters) has also spoken out about her near hijacking attempt, and how she used self-defence on her attackers

In 2017, actor Dumisani Masilela died after being shot and killed by hijackers. This year tragedy struck again when DJ Citi Lyts died similarly.

HIJACKING TRENDS TO KNOW

According to vehicle recovery company Tracker, hijackers and car thieves are developing new ways to tackle vehicle technologies.

For example, car thieves are now using key re-programmers and signal grabbers to bypass “push to start” buttons.

Netstar also warned the public that the following hijacking trends continue to occur in 2022:

  • Hijackings by criminals posing as law enforcement officers
  • Criminals bumping your car on the road and proceeding to hijack you when you get out to inspect the damage
  • Criminals duping fellow drivers under false pretences – like indicating you have a flat tire or missing number plate – and proceeding to hijack you when you stop your vehicle.

When it comes to the timing of hijackings, Netstar also revealed that they had seen a spike in the first two quarters of vehicle thefts during the morning hours. This, followed by a surge in hijackings during the afternoon and the evening.

According to Netstar’s provincial breakdown, Gauteng remains the hotspot for vehicle crime at 51,2%. KwaZulu-Natal came in second with 23%, and the Eastern Cape and the Western Cape both registered around 6% of incidents.

ALSO READ: UK model Katie Price ‘raped’ at gunpoint during 2018 SA attempted hijacking