WARNING: This is Version 1 of my old archive, so Photos will NOT work and many links will NOT work. But you can find articles by searching on the Titles. There is a lot of information in this archive. Use the SEARCH BAR at the top right. Prior to December 2012; I was a pro-Christian type of Conservative. I was unaware of the mass of Jewish lies in history, especially the lies regarding WW2 and Hitler. So in here you will find pro-Jewish and pro-Israel material. I was definitely WRONG about the Boeremag and Janusz Walus. They were for real.
Original Post Date: 2001-08-28 Posted By: Jan
From the News Archives of: WWW.AfricanCrisis.Org
Date & Time Posted: 8/28/2001 6:40:41 AM
Hijacking Mayhem
25/03/2001 – Carte Blanche
A corner in Soweto may look like just another shady spot, but in fact its
quite notorious. Its known as the showroom – the place that hijackers like
to show off their spoils.
On Friday morning a kombi was hijacked in Johannesburg. A police patrol
pulled the minibus over and the occupants opened fire, critically wounding a
policeman in the chest. The vehicle was then driven to Soweto. It was spotted
near the Baragwanath Hospital in Diepkloof by a police helicopter and backup
was sent in.
In the ensuing shootout, a 30-year-old man was shot dead and another
committed suicide by shooting himself in the head. Two AK-47 rifles and a
handgun were confiscated and two suspects were arrested.
Dr Adrienne Wulfsohn of the Sunninghill Trauma Unit is seeing a definite
increase in hijacking-related injuries. They are becoming more and more
violent.
A couple were driving “ a young chap with his fiancee “ on the highway. A
group of about six men and one woman hijacked them. They raped the man and
beat up the lady. Although neither one needed admission to ICU or were
severely injured physically, from a traumatic and emotional point of view,
that was difficult to understand. I ask myself why? If you want a vehicle and
money, take the vehicle and go. Dont continue the senseless violence and
trauma, says Dr Wulfsohn.
On Tuesday afternoon, 26-year-old Ashley Davidson was hijacked in Sandton. He
was shot in the face and thrown out of the car. The bullet lodged in the back
of his tongue, narrowly missing his spinal cord. His girlfriend Tania du
Plessis has kept a constant vigil: Its horrible. When I saw him on Tuesday,
I didnt think he was going to make it.
Rachelle Baitz is a trauma counsellor who sees about 15 hijack victims a
month. She explains what Ashley will go through.
Theres going to be multi-dimensional pain. Its not only the physical pain
he has to go through, but trying to deal with the emotions and emotional
anxiety as well. So its very hard to separate where the pain is coming
from, explains Rachelle.
On one day, Saturday the 17th of March, 11 Isuzu diesel bakkies were hijacked
on the East Rand. Some were found trying to cross the border into Mozambique.
This was obviously a bulk order from a crime syndicate. But that doesnt mean
other cars werent stolen on that day.
Stan and Piet, ground crew for Netstar – the satellite tracking company that
recovers stolen vehicles – are on the road. Theyre looking for a minibus
taxi that was hijacked in Kagiso. Their support crew in the chopper overhead
have picked up a signal in Tembisa. Forty minutes later, they hit their
target. The taxi has been abandoned outside a shop. Bystanders point out the
suspect, who is quickly apprehended and taken into custody. He looks harmless
enough, but hijacking is the crime that South Africans fear the most.
Ken Bromfield drives a Pajero and lives in Kensington. He has been hijacked
three times in the past month: One starts becoming terrified of going home.
When I start driving home at five oclock in the afternoon I get a knot in my
stomach.
Ken says that after the third time he was hijacked he became paranoid: I
started thinking that someone was out to get me, because it just seemed like
too much of a coincidence. Miraculously, Ken wasnt shot by the hijackers –
but hundreds of people arent so lucky.
Greg Ferguson runs a gardening business. He was shot in the pelvis by two
hijackers in Midrand: My bladder and anal nerves have been damaged. I have
no control. Im 54 years old and I have to wear a nappy.
This was Gregs third hijacking in three years. He and his wife Linda feel
unable to protect their family from violent crime.
Youre so helpless. The South African population is under threat. We are
helpless with this ridiculous government weve got, which says, (152)Yes, crime
is coming down. Its under control. We have statistics but were not going to
give them to you because we dont think that theyre right. What do they
think? What is anybody doing about it? What are they doing about it?
Nothing, he says.
Every hijack victim we spoke to this week thanked us for highlighting the
problem, and said they hoped it would help to change things. But that may be
difficult to tell. Since the moratorium on crime statistics was imposed, we
have no idea if things are actually getting better or worse.
In desperation, Radio 702 have been keeping their own statistics, says 702
Crime Editor, Yusuf Abramjee.
Because of the moratorium on the release of crime statistics, weve been
keeping a close tab on the number of incidents, specifically in the Pretoria
area. Youd know that there was a dramatic increase in violent crimes across
the capital, and over a two-month period, weve found that there were 120
car- jackings reported to us. At least 11 people were shot. Four of them were
killed “ including a policeman. We cannot gauge whether its an increase or a
decrease because of the moratorium, says Abramjee.
But insurance claims have shown a surprising trend, says Caroline da Silva of
the South African Insurance Association.
According to the statistics received from insurance companies, it would
appear that hijackings are on the decrease if you compare the year 2000
figures with 1999 figures, says da Silva.
She says that the general insurers with a national portfolio are reporting a
decrease of about 10 percent.
But of the six million cars in South Africa, only two million are insured.
And if a tracking company recovers the stolen vehicle quickly enough, the
owner doesnt even bother to report the theft or claim from insurance.
Forty-three percent of all hijackings occur in Gauteng. Tracking company
figures reveal that the highest incidence occurs in the East Rand and Soweto,
followed by northern Johannesburg and Pretoria. Surprisingly, the lowest
number of hijackings occurs in central Johannesburg. By far the highest rate
of recovery is from Soweto.
But if the car isnt found, chances are itll be taken to Soweto and stripped
within the hour. The remains are dumped, and by the end of the day, they are
loaded onto donkey carts and taken away to be sold as scrap metal.