Four Zambian trucks belonging to different companies in Zambia have been hijacked in Johannesburg, South Africa by unknown people.
The trucks that were coming from Zambia to South Africa carried different vehicle engines for reconditioning in wadeville and Kempton park garages in South Africa.
According to the information made available to the Zambian Mission in Pretoria, three trucks were hijacked in wadeville, germiston whilst the other truck was hijacked in Joeslovo Gauteng province in the early hours of today, Sunday 15 September.
The trucks were being driven by Zambian nationals identified as Katongo Mulenga, Boniface Chabala, Jimmy Kasenga and Charles Kakoma.
It was reported that the drivers were tied with cable wires and bundled in a car before being dumped at the roadside near the area were the attack happened.
The matter has been reported to Cleveland and John Foster police posts for investigations.
No injuries were reported as a result of the hijacking and the affected Zambians are safe.
The High Commission is monitoring the matter closely and has engaged relevant local authorities to ensure the safety of Zambians in South Africa as well as ensure that the trucks were recovered.
So sad,even things we are supposed to do locally to create jobs for our people have to be done in S.Africa.THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN LEADERSHIP IS PREOCCUPIED WITH PERSONAL ENRICHMENT,FOCUSSING ON THE OUTSIDERS RATHER THAN BUILDING LOCAL CAPACITY!! Before we had ERZ to recondition vehicle engines,instead of growing it to work even on mining equipment,it collapsed!!WE NEED TO SERIOUSLY THINK AND WORK ON REDUCING DEPENDENCE ON S.AFRICA! We did it under KK and we were more respected than now!
President Lungu chipuba.
I thought truck drivers were advised not to go to South Africa in the meantime.
Ignoring warnings is not a sight of courage.
Anyways, sorry for what happened. Good
I smell a fish. I have seen a video of the trucks. I live in S.A. & thing hijacking does not look S.A. style. This must be checked properly. These Zambians must ‘ve staged this & stolen these goods. These trucks without trackers if they were really hijacked would be hard to find. And find in one piece? I smell a fish here
These drivers were WARNED. I think they are just foolish.
They meet in SADC meetings and their talk includes free movement of people and capital in the region. Mugabe wouldn’t even allow a citizen of a SADC member nation to head a bank with a branch in Zimbabwe. At his death, he’s being described as a great pan-Africanist.
The Minister of Transport recently assured Zambian truck and bus drivers not to be afraid of going to SA as it was safe now, this doesn’t look like what he said was true. It’s better for drivers to be more cautious and not listen to these politicians. We have a Savage Country in our midst!
While Zambian president issues strong instruction to the police to protect south Africans , south African government is just saying in loud picture, ” We don’t care, its not our business “
S Africa is not a good contry
XRSA=Xenophobic Republic of South Africa, don’t understand why people still trust these descendants of bushmen,pa Zed we have all it takes but kaya,
This is a war we can’t win. Our economy is too small.
We better leave it to Nigerians and other notorious Nationals to tussle with South Africans,. After all Zambians are decent and likeable beings everywhere. And our communities are comparatively small, we generally stick home no matter our dire situation.
We’re being thrust into the trenches by other dirty foreigners in SA, and we’re amplifying our involvement in this xenophobia issue. We better step back and make peace with South Africans. They generally have a soft spot for chipolopolo people.
So our president is right to urge restraint.
In comparative terms, Zambians haven’t Bourne the worst brunt of these attacks in SA yet we’re being drawn into this battle by Zims, Nijas and congolese and were falling for it as seen by the way we harassed SA trucks iat Kazungula border the other day.
We need to keep our lane.
@6&7 chalo..we DON’T need an open war with S.Africa.We should use our INTELLECT and OTHER TOOLS at our disposal! IF WE CONSISTENTLY SUPPORT OUR LOCAL INDUSTRIES AND CUT IMPORTS BY EVEN 50% IN NEXT 10 YEARS,S.AFRICANS CAN START RESPECTING US AGAIN!!Dependence brings ridicule and that is a reason those S.Africans have the courage to ill treat us.If we cut down our dependence on them,then they can feel the pintch of our importance to the economy.WHY SHOULD ZAMBIAN TRUCKS DRIVEN BY ZAMBIANS BE HIGHJACKED WHEN THEY TAKE BUSINESS TO S.AFRICA? Isn’t that madness,and you stay in your old fashioned way ati ” They have soft spot for you..”!
We can strengthen our economy without being rowdy about it. We need not necessarily pull punches with our neighbors – the Rwanda way. No need to burn each other’s trucks. We will inevitably cross each other’s borders, that’s the inevitable fact of globalisation.
Industrialization does not happen overnight . It can’t be brought about in a flush like a switch turns on a bulb. It must be worked on line. And as we work at it, our copper and other goods must cross borders – to the consumers and clients out there, much as we provide market for foreign goods (basic commerce).
No man is an island
@9 Chalo..AGREED,check my comment @8,WE NEED STRATEGIES AND ACTIONABLE PLANS TO WEAN OURSELVES OFF S.AFRICA,so far ZERO..!!
Zambiaisours, I agree with you entirely. We’re bereft of a strategic plan to strengthen our industries and snuff out this near 100% dependency syndrome. Agreed, our leadership has let us down on this score.
But I’m also belaboring the point that we should not shoot ourselves in the feet for now by picking wars with those on whom our economy depends so much.
We still need to live today as we strive for a better tomorrow.
We are busy looking for investors, when we should be busy developing our own people and industries. Investors are also busy making us customers for products they produce in their own countries. And if we do not change our thinking we will forever send our transporters to bring in foreign products. How long is it going to take for us to realise that the shopping malls and chain supermarkets are not investments, but trading posts for foreign products…..
All nations depend on one another for trade. Thats why there’s EU.
NORTH KOREA AND IRAN are more advanced than SA but they still need international trade.
Stop blaming Zambia for doing biz with SA because even hh will continue doing biz wit SA when he becomes president in 2031
We had ERZ Engines Recondition Zambia Limited. We closed it. So how does ECL come in?
But ba Zambia naimwe,,,we all know how South Africa is these days.but why allowing risk your business in that way.