Six men suspected of hijacking a vehicle were arrested after they fled on foot during a police chase in Cape Town, following an incident in which the vehicle’s owner’s husband was stabbed in Mfuleni.
The arrests came after City Traffic officers spotted a vehicle believed to have been hijacked and followed it along the R300 during the early hours of Saturday morning. The pursuit, which began after an alert to traffic officers, ended when the suspects ran away in an attempt to evade capture.
Cape Town Traffic Service spokesperson Kevin Jacobs said officers received the alert near the R300 southbound and Van Riebeeck Road at about 1.40am.
Jacobs explained that two traffic vehicles joined the chase. As the pursuit continued, the suspects fled on foot, forcing officers to switch tactics in the search for the men.
“Traffic officers apprehended three suspects, while SAPS caught another three,” Jacobs said.
He added that the owner later confirmed that the vehicle had been hijacked in Mfuleni and that her husband was stabbed during the incident.
The stabbing and the hijacking have raised renewed concerns about violent crime in parts of the metro, where residents say they are increasingly forced to contend with targeted offences and rapid police response being key to investigations and public safety.
As officers processed the scene and secured the suspects, the chase itself highlighted the role of traffic policing in intercepting vehicles linked to serious crimes.
While the suspects are now in custody, further details of the hijacking, the circumstances leading to the stabbing, and the extent of injuries have not yet been publicly confirmed.
Stolen Ford Courier stopped after ANPR alert
In a separate incident on Friday, the Highway Patrol Unit recovered a stolen vehicle after an in-vehicle Automated Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) system flagged it as reported stolen.
Jacobs said an officer’s ANPR picked up a white Ford Courier that had been reported stolen. The vehicle was travelling northbound on Valhalla Drive at about midday when the officer received the alert.
According to Jacobs, the officer made a U-turn and followed the vehicle before stopping it along Bofors Circle in Epping.
A routine vehicle check then confirmed that the Ford Courier had been reported stolen in Kleinvlei.
The driver, Jacobs said, was found not to have a valid driving licence. The vehicle and the driver were subsequently handed over to Elsies River SAPS for further investigation.
A case of possession of suspected stolen property was opened as part of the probe.
Coordinated policing relies on timely alerts
Both incidents underscore how quickly information flows between systems and officers can lead to arrests and recoveries.
In the hijacking case, the alert set the chain of events in motion: traffic officers received the tip, joined the chase, and captured six suspects after they abandoned the vehicle and ran on foot.
In the stolen vehicle case, the ANPR system provided an immediate identification of the vehicle’s status, enabling the Highway Patrol Unit to intercept it before it could disappear into regular traffic.
As investigations continue, police will look closely at witness statements, footage where available, and the suspects’ movements to establish what role each person played in the alleged hijacking in Mfuleni, and how the stolen Ford Courier came to be in the driver’s possession in Epping.
For now, the arrests represent another round of enforcement aimed at removing stolen vehicles and deterring violent crime from major routes and surrounding communities.
