Cape Town - Tow-truck drivers turned into heroes on Thursday when they sped after hijackers and cornered them in their high-powered vehicles.
The drama unfolded just after midday in Main Road, Diep River.
The owner of Speedy Towing and Spares, Frans Conradie, explained: “A British American Tobacco company truck was hijacked outside the 7-Eleven by four armed guys.
“They took the truck down a side street, locked the two drivers in the back, loaded the contents into their vehicle and sped off.
“One of my drivers heard what was going on and sped after them.”
The tow-truck driver was soon joined by four fellow drivers in their superfast bakkies, and the five drivers caught the getaway car.
“They cornered it, forced it to stop, kept one in his car with his hands up, then called the police. They caught one, but three ran away on foot.”
Conradie said: “There are four armed guys, yet my team put their lives in danger. They did so because it’s in our neighbourhood and we do not allow criminals to run free here in our community.
“We are on the roads here 24 hours a day and end up catching 90 percent of the thieves in this area.
“We are very happy to offer a public service like this.”
Conradie said it had also been the drivers who discovered the BAT employees locked in the back of the truck.
The company had later phoned with its thanks.
BAT spokeswoman Itumeleng Langeni said the company “would like to commend the tow-truck drivers for their quick response which ultimately prevented the hijacking”.
A witness said the boxing in of the hijackers’ car had “looked like something out of a movie”.
Cape Argus