Rumours of heightened incidents of car spiking on the highways around the capital city are being exaggerated by social media activities, said Tshwane Mayor Cilliers Brink.
He was speaking on Thursday night during the anti-crime operation spearheaded by the Tshwane Metro Police Department (TMPD) and the SAPS on the highways most notorious for cases of spiking and violence targeting unsuspecting motorists.
He said he joined TMPD chief Yolanda Faro and her teams of metro police during freeway patrol to monitor spiking hotspots along the N4, N14, R80 and other routes.
Brink said the TMPD has increased deployment on the roads since January this year.
“In the past five months, in response to heightened incidents of spiking and violence on the roads around the capital city, the TMPD and SAPS have taken up hands and we have also upped our game and heightened visibility patrols cruising along these routes, especially the R80, N1 North and N4 and even as far as Eeufees road,”he said.
During the Thursday night operation the law-enforcement assisted about 200 motorists and removed 18 pedestrians from the roads.
Brink said: “In many instances of reported spiking we discovered that it wasn’t spiking, it was (vehicle) mechanical failure and so forth but there is no doubt that the improved cooperation and visibility of the TMPD and SAPS has had an effect.”
He, however, warned motorists about the danger of travelling at night, saying it is important to realise that they are more vulnerable when out on the roads at night than during the day.
“And it is very important to make sure that your vehicle is roadworthy and that you have fuel in your vehicle because the roads in this country are not always safe. So be vigilant, but the rumours of spiking are in certain instances being exaggerated by social media activity but the presence of law-enforcement on these roads I believe have made a significant difference and we will continue to do this,” he said.
The operation follows last month’s arrest of 11 suspects in Winterveldt linked to road spiking incidents targeting motorists on highways.
At the time Gauteng provincial SAPS commissioner Lieutenant General Tommy Mthombeni, hailed the arrests as a breakthrough, saying they will assist the police to close a lot of cases related to road spiking.
In recent years the incidents of car spiking on highway routes have reportedly been on the rise and many motorists fell victims to the crime.
Criminals put spikes on the road after dark with the intention of robbing the victims when they stop to change their damaged tyres.
Authorities previously disclosed that the crimes perpetrated by criminals included robberies, culpable homicide, sexual assault, armed robbery, malicious damage to property and attempted murder.
The Motor Industry Staff Association, which has been vocal about the scourge, last month said vehicle spiking incidents are reported almost every night on road safety WhatsApp Groups in Gauteng.
The organisation said incidents continued to rise despite hotspot lists being circulated.
Pretoria News