Armed robbery at Bhisho: five masked men hijack government bakkie amid rising vehicle thefts

Five masked and armed men took the Department of Cooperative Governance double cab bakkie in the early hours. Eastern Cape Department of Transport spokesperson Unathi Binqose said the search is on for the five who made off with the vehicle in a brazen robbery at the Department of Cooperative Governance’s offices in Bhisho. 

The attack occurred at about 1.30am.

He said witnesses saw five armed men with their faces covered with balaclavas enter the premises. Three men held up the security guards while the other two took the keys to the fleet management offices where they took the key to a double cab Nissan Navara (GGL472EC) and drove off in it.

Nobody was injured in the incident. 

The Navara is the 10th government vehicle to be hijacked in the province this year and brings the number of state vehicles hijacked or stolen to 65 since January 2024.

Binqose said all government fleet vehicles are fitted with tracking devices. He added that the overwhelming majority of the stolen vehicles are bakkies. “There clearly is a huge demand for bakkies in the province given our terrain and the rural nature of our province.”

The department, however, does not know the motive for the consistent attacks.

Transport MEC Xolile Nqatha said the thefts threaten to severely hamper service delivery in the province and rob residents of much-needed services, since officials are wary of going where their services are most needed.

From January 2024 to December 2024, 55 state vehicles were taken by criminals. Since January 2025 another 10 have been stolen. Nqatha said most vehicles are hijacked.

“Many of these hijackings have occurred in towns such as Mthatha, Libode, Ngqeleni and Qumbu, while Ngcobo has been identified as another hotspot. 

“Recovery teams, in collaboration with the SAPS, have recovered 26 of the 55 vehicles (last year), while 29 vehicles are still unaccounted for. The most-targeted vehicle model during this period were bakkies – the Toyota Hilux GD6 – followed closely by the Isuzu D-Max.”

Nqatha has warned that the state will go “all out, to not only put an end to this criminality but also bring perpetrators of these crimes to book”.

“What is happening here is a crime, not only against the state but also against civilians. This is done by individuals or groups who have clearly taken a stance against the people and service delivery – individuals or groups who are prepared to sabotage service delivery to dozens of communities for their selfish gains. That we won’t tolerate!”

He said that in the first eight weeks of 2025 10 vehicles were stolen or hijacked. 

Before the latest incident a bakkie from the Department of Transport was hijacked in Mthatha, but has been recovered. DM