Recent data from Tracker’s Vehicle Crime Index has revealed an alarming shift in criminal behaviour targeting South African businesses. Analysis of statistics from January to June 2025 — drawn from more than 1.1 million active subscriptions — shows that business-owned vehicles are now 48% more likely to be targeted than privately owned vehicles.
Within Tracker’s base specifically, business vehicles faced 32% more criminal incidents, signalling a worrying escalation for organisations reliant on fleet mobility.
Gauteng continues to dominate the crime map, accounting for 57% of all recorded incidents, but a new concern has surfaced: Mpumalanga has emerged as a significant hotspot, highlighting how rapidly vehicle-crime patterns can shift across regions. What’s more, these incidents are increasingly happening during weekdays, precisely when business vehicles are most active — a clear indicator that criminals are targeting operational routines rather than opportunistic moments.
A Changing Threat Landscape for Employers
This shift reflects a broader evolution in criminal tactics, says MasterDrive CEO Eugene Herbert.
“Evolution in criminal tactics demands an equally evolved response from employers. Companies can no longer afford to view vehicle security as only a matter of technology and tracking systems.
“While these technologies are important, it represents only one layer of safety. Employee situational awareness is a critical frontline defence against vehicle crime. Businesses must prioritise comprehensive upskilling that teaches employees to recognise threats, assess risk in different environments, and make split-second decisions that could save their lives.”
Situational awareness training equips employees to operate proactively, not reactively. By learning to recognise suspicious behaviour, identify when they may be followed, and respond strategically, drivers significantly reduce their exposure to high-risk scenarios.
Herbert emphasises the importance of understanding vulnerable zones — areas where carjackings are most common. “This includes awareness of locations such as driveways, traffic intersections, and parking areas,” he says.
Beyond location-based awareness, behavioural vigilance is critical. Employees working in high-risk regions should be trained to vary travel routes, maintain alertness, minimise distractions, and trust instinctive warnings when something feels off.
When Prevention Fails, Extraction Skills Save Lives
However, even the most robust situational awareness training cannot eliminate risk entirely. Crime syndicates are increasingly brazen, technologically aware, and agile in adapting their strategies to exploit business vulnerabilities.
Herbert notes that this reality makes a second training layer essential: hijack extraction skills.
“When prevention fails, knowing how to safely extract oneself from the vehicle is paramount. Human life is infinitely more valuable than any vehicle or cargo. Employees need clear, practiced protocols to safely remove themselves from the situation and significantly reduce the risk of violence.”
Hijack extraction training transforms panic into practiced response — and practiced response saves lives. Employees who know precisely what to do in a worst-case scenario are far less likely to escalate tension, resist instinctively, or make unsafe split-second decisions under duress.
A New Standard of Duty of Care
South Africa’s roads present layered risks that go far beyond collisions. For thousands of South Africans, driving is not only a job requirement but an occupational hazard — one complicated by rising levels of targeted vehicle crime.
“Safety training that addresses only collision prevention and ignores these realities is fundamentally incomplete, failing the employer’s duty of care,” Herbert says. “Situational awareness and extraction training are not optional extras but essential investments in employee welfare and business continuity in high-risk environments.”
For businesses, the message is clear: traditional vehicle-security measures are no longer enough. A more holistic approach — one that blends technology, human vigilance, and practical life-saving skills — is now critical to protecting employees and safeguarding operations in a climate where everyday driving can carry extraordinary risk.
