Pretoria – ActionSA has announced it will ask the City of Tshwane to provide feedback on a reported increase in hijacking incidents due to load shedding.
The party said it will also put forward recommendations to the city’s council to compel the Tshwane Metro Police Department (TMPD) to deploy resources to affected areas.
ActionSA spokesperson Nkele Molapo said the party has been made aware of three hijacking incidents that occurred during load shedding in Mamelodi, Centurion and Pretoria West.
“A twitter thread today (Monday) has also alleged that similar incidents occurred in the Akasia areas of Chantelle, Nkwe Estate, Amandasig, Clarina, KarenPark and the Orchards over the festive season,” Molapo said.
According to the reports, it is alleged that the hijackers work as a syndicate where they specifically target areas that experience load shedding.
“The syndicate is believed to force the victim to drive to an area where they de-activate the car tracking system, and then follows to withdraw funds from the victims’ bank accounts.”
Molapo said the party will advocate for intensified visible policing in areas that are experiencing load shedding at a particular time, especially at night.
“While the issue of load shedding is a national matter, at a local level, SAPS and TMPD need to work together and deploy resources to areas that experience load shedding at night.
“ActionSA is a party that stands for the rule of law and we’ve been clear in our election manifesto that wherever we deploy public representatives, we will work to ensure that we improve the safety and security of all residents,” Molapo added.
IOL