Ivory Park Named South Africa’s Hijacking Hotspot as Thousands of Cars Stolen in Early 2025

Car hijackings remain a major safety concern in South Africa — and new crime stats reveal that Ivory Park, a bustling suburb in Midrand, Gauteng, has seen the highest number of hijackings in early 2025.

According to the South African Police Service (SAPS) quarterly crime data for January to March 2025, Ivory Park recorded 67 carjackings, making it the top suburb for these crimes. That’s nearly one car stolen per day in this area alone.

Though there’s some relief in the numbers — overall hijackings are down 15.1% compared to the same period last year — South Africans are still losing about 50 cars a day to hijackers. SAPS says 4,533 vehicles were hijacked in just the first three months of 2025.

Ivory Park and Other High-Risk Zones

With a population of over 182,000, Ivory Park is part of the Johannesburg Metropolitan area and borders Tembisa. It’s no stranger to crime challenges, but these new figures place it at the heart of a growing carjacking crisis.

Other hard-hit areas include:

• Mamelodi East in Gauteng – 65 hijackings

• Umlazi in KwaZulu-Natal – 64 hijackings

• Jabulani in Johannesburg – a 119% surge from 26 to 57 hijackings year-on-year

These suburbs show just how concentrated hijackings are in urban centers, especially in Gauteng, which accounted for more than half (2,488) of all carjackings nationwide in early 2025.

Carjackings Still Underreported

The official SAPS numbers only tell part of the story. Data from the Victims of Crime Survey (VoC) paints a broader picture, showing that many incidents go unreported.

The VoC suggests a 28.9% drop in hijackings compared to last year — from 114,000 to 81,000 incidents — but that still averages 222 hijackings a day. Clearly, the crime remains widespread and underreported.

What Cars Are Hijackers After?

Vehicle crime in South Africa is often driven by demand in illegal markets. Popular brands and models are stolen for parts or resale, and trends show that hijackers have widened their scope.

Perennial targets still dominate:

• VW Polo

• Toyota Hilux

• Ford Ranger

• Toyota Corolla Cross

• Toyota Fortuner

But new entrants have emerged, especially among Chinese-manufactured vehicles that have gained traction in South Africa:

• Haval Jolion

• Chery Tiggo 4 Pro

• Haval H6

• Chery Tiggo 7 Pro

According to the latest SAPS data, sedans, hatchbacks, and coupes made up 44% of hijacked vehicles, while bakkies and panel vans accounted for 33%.

Which Provinces Are Improving — and Which Aren’t?

While Gauteng continues to top the hijacking charts, some provinces have shown significant progress. Notably:

• Mpumalanga: down 35.4%

• Eastern Cape: down 32.4%

• Limpopo: down 31.8%

• KwaZulu-Natal: down 25.7%

• Western Cape: down 23.5%

However, North West province saw a year-on-year increase in hijackings during the same period — the only province to do so.

Despite encouraging signs of a national decline, South Africa’s hijacking crisis is far from over. The daily toll of stolen vehicles — often accompanied by trauma and violence — continues to burden communities.

For residents of places like Ivory Park, the latest figures are a stark reminder that safety on the road remains a pressing issue — and more work needs to be done to bring those numbers down.

{Source: BusinessTech}

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