A 39-year-old man is expected to appear at the Middelburg Magistrate’s Court today facing various charges, including hijacking of a truck as well as kidnapping.
This is after an incident that occurred yesterday afternoon where an official from Active Power trucking company was on duty at their control room at a mine based in Middelburg where the truck was delivering coal. The official then saw one of their trucks taking a different direction than expected and he tried to call the driver of the truck but there was no response. He then suspected that something was wrong and decided to follow the truck as it was heading to the N4 towards Emalahleni.
According to the Department of Community Safety, Security and Liaison, the truck was found parked under the bridge on the N4 next to KG Mall off-ramp in the Vosman area. As he approached the truck, the person who was driving, informed him that he was hired to drive the truck by three other men. Inside the truck, he (the official) spotted the rightful driver employed by their company. He (the rightful driver) then told the official that he was hijacked while delivering coal in Middelburg and was held at gunpoint by the suspects who forced him to lie down in the sleeping compartment of the truck. The matter was reported to the police and the suspect, who claimed that three men hired him was arrested and charged.
The man will also appear at the Emalahleni Magistrate’s Court soon to face a charge of being in possession of suspected hijacked truck.