Fighting back — cellphone providers and business collaborate to combat EC hijacking hotspots
Following several meetings to discuss rampant truck hijackings in the metro and surrounding areas, the Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber and South Africa's (SA's) two major cellphone network providers have joined forces to make the Addo Road — an Eastern Cape crime hotspot — safer.
After a spike in truck hijackings on the Addo Road in Motherwell, businesses began looking for solutions. A common factor reported by truck drivers hijacked was the lack of cellphone signal, which prevented them from calling for help.
While tracking systems work in the absence of cellphone networks, data is not always sent out timeously in low-network areas.
Recently, construction manager Victor Ngcobo was kidnapped on the R335 near Monument Crossing — an area identified as having a particularly poor signal. He was later found unharmed.
Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber CEO Denise van Huyssteen said discussions around the hijackings also revealed that poor cellphone reception was contributing to the area's status as a crime hotspot.
'We asked two cellular network provider companies to do an assessment of the cellphone coverage in the area. One of the two reverted back with a report which indicated that there was a lack of coverage in the area, and that infrastructure upgrades would be required to address this situation,' she said.
Van Huyssteen said the chamber had also approached Google Maps as the Maps App indicated that the R335 was the 'shortest route' to take visitors and tourists to Addo Elephant National Park.
'It automatically takes users on the shortest route to Addo, which means that incoming visitors to the metro travel there along the R335. We rallied our members to go onto Google Maps and log the road as a high-risk road. This resulted in the route being blocked and travellers being re-routed along other more safer routes,' she added.
Zakhele Jiyane, Managing Executive for Vodacom Eastern Cape region, confirmed that the organisation was approached by the business chamber to see if there was something Vodacom could do to fix the cellphone network in the area.
'Vodacom has successfully completed upgrades on 11 base station sites in Addo in Sarah Baartman District Municipality and along R335, connecting Addo to Motherwell. Among these upgrades, four sites have improved cellphone coverage specifically for the Addo CBD, local police station, farming community, and the new Addo Spar center. The remaining six sites extend coverage along R335 road.
Coverage '10% improved'
'Following our upgrades, coverage has improved by an impressive 10%, particularly on the R335 road. Furthermore, the upgrades have significantly reduced areas without service, and the network capacity has increased by 15%. This means more users can stay connected for longer periods on the network.
'Critically, as part of our commitment to support both the Addo community and local businesses, we have plans to improve connectivity in the area in this financial year.
'For example, we are planning to deploy high-power signal boosters to cover the remaining section without service on R335, and we will do this within six months. Secondly, we are planning to deploy additional base stations to help achieve full coverage for the Addo CBD, police station and community during the 2025/2026 financial year,' Jiyane said.
He said the Vodacom Eastern Cape region had invested more than R500-million over the last financial year on modernising the network, energy projects and accelerating broadband coverage across the province, particularly in townships and deep rural areas of the province.
R1bn long-term investment
This is an investment totalling over R1-billion over two years and forms part of Vodacom's long-term vision, to have the widest and most reliable network accessible to all South Africans, he said.
MTN SA, in written responses, confirmed that they would conduct a drive test to verify signal strength and identify gaps.
'Currently, MTN has 4G deployment at this specific location. MTN did experience operational issues at this location at the end of March and the start of April 2025, however the issue has been resolved. While MTN confirms coverage at this location, a further drive test will be done to test the service performance in the area. This test will be concluded within the next few days,' the statement continued. DM
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Maverick
7 hours ago
- Daily Maverick
Fighting back — cellphone providers and business collaborate to combat EC hijacking hotspots
Following several meetings to discuss rampant truck hijackings in the metro and surrounding areas, the Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber and South Africa's (SA's) two major cellphone network providers have joined forces to make the Addo Road — an Eastern Cape crime hotspot — safer. After a spike in truck hijackings on the Addo Road in Motherwell, businesses began looking for solutions. A common factor reported by truck drivers hijacked was the lack of cellphone signal, which prevented them from calling for help. While tracking systems work in the absence of cellphone networks, data is not always sent out timeously in low-network areas. Recently, construction manager Victor Ngcobo was kidnapped on the R335 near Monument Crossing — an area identified as having a particularly poor signal. He was later found unharmed. Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber CEO Denise van Huyssteen said discussions around the hijackings also revealed that poor cellphone reception was contributing to the area's status as a crime hotspot. 'We asked two cellular network provider companies to do an assessment of the cellphone coverage in the area. One of the two reverted back with a report which indicated that there was a lack of coverage in the area, and that infrastructure upgrades would be required to address this situation,' she said. Van Huyssteen said the chamber had also approached Google Maps as the Maps App indicated that the R335 was the 'shortest route' to take visitors and tourists to Addo Elephant National Park. 'It automatically takes users on the shortest route to Addo, which means that incoming visitors to the metro travel there along the R335. We rallied our members to go onto Google Maps and log the road as a high-risk road. This resulted in the route being blocked and travellers being re-routed along other more safer routes,' she added. Zakhele Jiyane, Managing Executive for Vodacom Eastern Cape region, confirmed that the organisation was approached by the business chamber to see if there was something Vodacom could do to fix the cellphone network in the area. 'Vodacom has successfully completed upgrades on 11 base station sites in Addo in Sarah Baartman District Municipality and along R335, connecting Addo to Motherwell. Among these upgrades, four sites have improved cellphone coverage specifically for the Addo CBD, local police station, farming community, and the new Addo Spar center. The remaining six sites extend coverage along R335 road. Coverage '10% improved' 'Following our upgrades, coverage has improved by an impressive 10%, particularly on the R335 road. Furthermore, the upgrades have significantly reduced areas without service, and the network capacity has increased by 15%. This means more users can stay connected for longer periods on the network. 'Critically, as part of our commitment to support both the Addo community and local businesses, we have plans to improve connectivity in the area in this financial year. 'For example, we are planning to deploy high-power signal boosters to cover the remaining section without service on R335, and we will do this within six months. Secondly, we are planning to deploy additional base stations to help achieve full coverage for the Addo CBD, police station and community during the 2025/2026 financial year,' Jiyane said. He said the Vodacom Eastern Cape region had invested more than R500-million over the last financial year on modernising the network, energy projects and accelerating broadband coverage across the province, particularly in townships and deep rural areas of the province. R1bn long-term investment This is an investment totalling over R1-billion over two years and forms part of Vodacom's long-term vision, to have the widest and most reliable network accessible to all South Africans, he said. MTN SA, in written responses, confirmed that they would conduct a drive test to verify signal strength and identify gaps. 'Currently, MTN has 4G deployment at this specific location. MTN did experience operational issues at this location at the end of March and the start of April 2025, however the issue has been resolved. While MTN confirms coverage at this location, a further drive test will be done to test the service performance in the area. This test will be concluded within the next few days,' the statement continued. DM
The Herald
4 days ago
- The Herald
Construction manager found unharmed after kidnapping on Addo road
Construction manager Victor Ngcobo, who was kidnapped on the R355 road in Motherwell on Wednesday last week, has been found unharmed. Hawks spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Avele Fumba said the 38-year-old was found on Monday. He was working on a multimillion-rand Sanral project on the R335 between Motherwell and Addo at the time of his abduction. 'It is alleged that the suspects forced the victim into a white Mercedes-Benz vehicle along Addo Road in Gqeberha,' Fumba said. 'The victim works as a construction manager and was found unharmed and has not sustained any physical injuries. 'The investigation team is ... probing the matter to establish the full circumstances around the abduction and to ensure those responsible are swiftly brought to justice. 'We appeal to any members of the public who may have information to assist in expediting the investigation to come forward. 'All information will be treated with the utmost confidentiality.' The Sunday Times reported that a R10m ransom demand had been made for Ngcobo's return. It remains unclear whether a ransom was paid. The Herald
TimesLIVE
4 days ago
- TimesLIVE
Kidnapped contractor found unharmed in Gqeberha
Kidnappers have released Victor Ngcobo, the roadworks construction manager, on the R335 road between Gqeberha and Addo. He was abducted on Wednesday last week and was released unharmed next to the same road on Monday morning. A source close to the matter confirmed the release to TimesLIVE. 'No ransom was paid. The kidnappers just dropped him off next to the R335. Police members happened to drive by and see him. They took him to a part of the site where some of his colleagues were working on the public holiday. His colleagues say he was crying with relief when he climbed out of the police vehicle,' the source said. Without elaborating, the Hawks in the Eastern Cape confirmed that 'a 38-year-old male victim who was allegedly kidnapped by two unknown men' was found on Monday morning. 'The victim, who works as a construction manager, was found unharmed and has not sustained any physical injuries,' regional spokesperson Lt-Col Avela Fumba said. He said the investigation team is probing the matter to establish the full circumstances surrounding the abduction and to ensure those responsible are swiftly brought to justice. 'We kindly appeal to any members of the public who may have information that could assist in expediting the investigation to come forward. All information will be treated with utmost confidentiality and can be provided anonymously using the MySAPS app,' he said.
