The first hour of a vehicle recovery is the most critical, and there are numerous steps our recovery team takes to ensure your vehicle gets located and retrieved. With over 60 vehicles stolen every day in South Africa, this process happens often, and we’ve become adept at foiling theft attempts more often than not.
To understand the very real experiences of vehicle theft recovery agents, we’ve given you 3 real Cartrack recovery stories and the events that took place within the first hour after the theft or hijacking.
Hundreds of thousands of motorists around the world trust us with the security of their vehicles, and here’s why.
From hundreds of vehicle recovery stories, we’ve selected three that highlight the swift action taken by Cartrack’s recovery teams in the critical first hour after a theft or hijacking. In some cases, Cartrack’s recovery teams recovered vehicles within minutes of the theft, before thieves could strip them or move them across the border.
On the 11th of May, 2026 a blue VW Polo was stolen after a house robbery in Westonaria and immediately driven to Mabopane. The Cartrack team was dispatched immediately and by the time the vehicle had stopped moving, the team was already 4 kilometers away.
Since the time they were dispatched to the time they found the vehicle, only 13 minutes had passed.
Two suspects were found standing near the car. One surrendered and was arrested and handed over to SAPS. The other ran away and was unfortunately not found. The car was recovered in a good condition.
On the 23rd of May, 2026, a grey Subaru Outback crossover/station was reported as hijacked and was at that time being driven in Mayfair. Our team followed its movement across Orlando West thanks to GPS tracking.
The suspected hijacker was the only one in the vehicle when it was found a mere 22 minutes later.
Cartrack's Recovery Team handed the suspect over to SAPS after stopping him in Orlando West. A case was subsequently opened at Germiston SAPS after the bakkie was successfully recovered.
On the 28th of August, 2026, a Big Boy Cargo 150cc motorbike was reported hijacked in Goodwood. When our team made use of the Biketrack GPS tracking, they saw it being ridden around in Manenberg. Our team followed its regular location updates and worked together with the SAPS Flying Squad to find its real-time location.
Once found, the suspect was stopped, restrained and arrested by SAPS officers. They quickly confirmed that the bike was indeed the one that had been hijacked and the suspect riding the bike was detained at Manenberg SAPS for questioning. The Big Boy was finally booked into the Bellville South Impound and SAPS commenced with the investigation.
Within the first hour of a vehicle being stolen, the recovery team needs to make sure they act fast. Vehicle thieves often aim to move stolen vehicles across the border or to a secluded location where they can strip them for parts. Most cars are stolen for their parts which is why the first hour of tracking & recovery is so crucial.
First, the Cartrack control room needs to be made aware of the theft. This is done through various ways covered in the next section, “How a theft first reaches Cartrack's monitoring center". Once our recovery team is notified of the theft, they spring into action and attempt to locate the real-time location of the vehicle.
GPS tracking is used to give the recovery team live location updates and tells them whether the vehicle is stationary or moving. This signal is constantly monitored and communicated amongst the individuals responsible for recovery. Oftentimes, law enforcement is also notified and communicated with.
The recovery team then uses a combination of vehicles (ground support) and helicopters (air support) to move toward the general location of where the vehicle is emitting a signal. If the signal is no longer available, they’ll move toward its last location.
SAPS and metro traffic departments work alongside Cartrack’s vehicle recovery team to reach the vehicle’s location. Both our team and law enforcement will use ground & air response vehicles to get there as quickly as possible.
If the vehicle has additional hardware that can force it into limp mode ("Limp Mode" is typically triggered once the vehicle slows down below a safe speed threshold) or completely immobilise it, we’ll engage that remotely. This may include measures like:
If the vehicle can’t be stopped remotely, our team (together with law enforcement) will intercept the car with ground support. They’ll attempt to use their own vehicles to block the driver from getting away and often chase after them if they abandon the vehicle and run on foot or try to escape with a different vehicle.
Once the vehicle has been recovered, it’ll be impounded at an appropriate police impound lot. From here SAPS takes over and either arrests & detains the suspects and starts the vehicle inspection and forensic process (more about that later).
The owner of the vehicle will be notified of the recovery by the Cartrack team and explain the procedure of getting the vehicle back. If the car has sustained any damage, this will be recorded in the report completed by SAPS.
An alert to the theft of your car can reach Cartrack’s control center in several different ways, the most common of which is you letting us know that the theft has taken place. But another way we might be alerted to your car being stolen is through our virtual car guard app, CarWatch.
Thanks to Cartrack’s IoT (Internet of Things) devices, our control room will also pick up on alerts if your tracking unit stops working, is tampered with, or is jammed using an illegal signal jammer. For fleets, alerts will also be sent if one of your vehicles crosses a virtual boundary set by a geofence.
The most common way a theft alert reaches our monitoring center is through you reporting it directly to us. This should be done before you contact your insurance company or Notify us immediately while simultaneously opening a case with the police, before contacting your insurance company. Remember to keep Cartrack’s emergency response number handy so that you can report the theft as quickly as possible.
If your car moves without your phone being nearby, the CarWatch feature on the Cartrack App will send you a signal that the car is moving without authorisation. From here we can spring into action and dispatch our recovery team thanks to the CarWatch early warning system.
Cartrack’s skilled recovery teams and advanced tracking technology enable us to locate and recover stolen or hijacked vehicles quickly. We also work closely with SAPS and metro traffic departments, whose support further strengthens our recovery efforts.
Cartrack’s recovery teams locate and recover stolen or hijacked vehicles independently, drawing on our tracking technology, expertise and resources. In certain instances, we coordinate with SAPS for additional support during the recovery process.
Helicopter support is deployed when needed to assist Cartrack’s ground recovery teams in locating and tracking a stolen vehicle. When deployed, air and ground teams remain in close communication to coordinate the recovery.
Cartrack’s recovery teams independently locate and recover stolen or hijacked vehicles. Where needed, metro police departments, including Johannesburg, Tshwane and Ekurhuleni, provide additional support to our teams.
Once a car has been recovered by Cartrack, SAPS handles the paperwork related to the handover and vehicle inspection. It’s not as easy as simply driving your car home once we get it back. There’s a process that should be followed which includes legal & safety steps to ensure the car is cleared, assessed, and safely returned.
We require the case number to confirm the incident. Without this case number, the South African police won’t get involved in the recovery process to begin with, so make sure you report it to them as soon as you’re aware of the theft.
Once recovery happens, SAPS will book the vehicle into their impound and begin an inspection process. They’ll look for damage and also dust the inside of the car for fingerprints to kickstart their forensic investigation.
The reason this is important is because there are several car theft syndicates operating in South Africa. Inspecting your car gives the police valuable evidence in establishing whether these were independent thieves, or criminals that form part of a larger syndicate. All of this creates a significant amount of paperwork, all of which is handled by SAPS.
The forensic process includes:
When collecting your car from SAPS after it’s been recovered, be sure to bring your ID and/or driver’s license, the registration papers of your car and proof of insurance (if you have any). You should also come with the original case number and a SAPS vehicle release form.
Popular Japanese brands tend to be targeted the most by hijackers in South Africa. Bakkies are a popular target and so are vans that carry cargo. In fact, most of the hijackings that occur in South Africa are fleet vehicles, and cargo theft is often the main objective.
According to BusinessTech, car thieves have started to favour company vehicles rather than private motorists in South Africa. The reason for this is because the cargo is now much easier to steal than the vehicle itself. The vehicle simply acts as a getaway so that criminals can successfully raid what it’s carrying.
The reason criminals target bakkies in SA is because there’s a high demand for them across our borders. If your bakkie gets stolen, chances are high the thief is trying to get it across the border before getting caught.
Cartrack’s recovery teams aim to intercept stolen vehicles before they cross the border. If a vehicle enters a neighbouring country, our branches there can support recovery efforts, with assistance from cross-border patrols and local law enforcement where needed.
Cartrack has an audited recovery success rate of over 100,000 vehicles recovered in the last 10 years. What this number indicates is that we’ve worked on our technology to keep up with new car theft methods used by criminals. Here's what we offer our customers in addition to GPS tracking.
Our tracking devices come with anti-jamming alerts. In other words, if a would-be car thief attempts to jam your GPS tracker, it alerts us immediately and allows us to contact you. This acts as an early warning system and helps us dispatch our recovery team quicker.
The Cartrack Tag is a tracking device you can have us add to your regular GPS tracker. It emits a signal using radio frequency triangulation technology and doesn’t rely on GPS satellites. This means that if car thieves attempt to damage or remove your GPS tracker, we’ll still be able to track your vehicle thanks to the Tag.
Panic buttons have become an essential component in commercial fleets that transport passengers. But we believe that every motorist should have one. If you find yourself in a dangerous road situation, the Cartrack panic button will alert us to your situation. We’ll call you, and if we can’t get a hold of you within 180 seconds, we’ll dispatch an emergency response team to your location.
Thousands of motorists and companies trust Cartrack with the security of their vehicles. With over 20 years in the industry, we’ve won the confidence of the South African public when it comes to tracking your vehicle and getting it safely back to you if it’s ever stolen.
Call us now to get a tracking device for your car.
Read about real-world vehicle recovery stories from the team at Cartrack and learn why millions of motorists and fleets trust us with their road security.
