Vehicle crime remains a reality in South Africa, but the risk faced by motorists today is significantly lower than it was three decades ago. As Tracker commemorates 30 years of protecting South Africans and their vehicles, a review of the company’s historical vehicle crime data reveals that the proportion of Tracker customers affected by vehicle theft and hijacking declined from around 4% in the late 1990s to 0.5% in recent years.
After a strong broad-based recovery in Q1 2026, the Ctrack Transport and Freight Index (Ctrack TFI) declined notably in Q2, but recouped some losses in Q3 – see graph 1. At a level of 122.2 the index is up by a marginal 0.2% compared to Q2, and still up by 1.8% compared to a year ago. The economic scenario in South Africa has taken a turn for the worse following the outbreak of the Middle East conflict.
At their recent industry event in Johannesburg, Logistics News met up with Mithun Perinchery from Dematic and Wayne Freel from Apex RTS where they shared some insights from their high-level discussions with leading brands as well as on the partnership between Dematic and Apex RTS.
Transport reform, regional trade, safer freight corridors and workforce development will take centre stage at the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT) Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe Regional Conference at Automechanika Johannesburg on 28 and 29 October 2026.
