Another vehicle that belonged to the road construction team of the Eastern Cape transport department was hijacked at gunpoint.
The incident happened outside of Cofimvaba in Askeaton on Wednesday afternoon.
The incident is the fourth attack in the province in five weeks and the third in the Chris Hani district municipality, the department said.
“This raises serious concerns about the safety of departmental workers and the progress of rural road infrastructure projects,” said Unathi Binqose, the spokesperson for the department.
Staff members were using the department’s double cab bakkie for road rehabilitation when the hijacking took place.
A group of armed men in a VW Polo stopped the department’s vehicle and confronted the driver, the foreman.
“The assailants demanded the keys, forced the foreman into the backseat, and drove off with him as a hostage,” Binqose said.
After being released without incident, the foreman reported the incident to the police and his office.
Vehicle found abandoned near Cofimvaba
The bakkie was found abandoned in a forest in a nearby village in Cofimvaba a few hours after the authorities activated the vehicle’s tracking system.
But the car was already inoperable because the criminals had taken several parts out of it.
“With four hijackings in just over a month, the department’s efforts to address critical rural road infrastructure challenges in the Eastern Cape are facing significant setbacks.
“The repeated loss of vehicles and equipment is hampering progress and straining resources, while the safety of workers remains a growing concern,” Binqose said.
No one has been taken into custody, and police are still looking into the incident.
The department has called on local communities to help by supplying information that may help apprehend those responsible.
Last week, Sunday World reported that a crane truck was shot at during an ambush of road workers fixing potholes on the R408 between Ngcobo and Dutywa.
The workers abandoned the car and sought refuge in a nearby village. No one was harmed.
ALSO READ: Eastern Cape criminals now targeting road maintenance trucks
