Cape Town Woman Rescued From Car Boot After Brutal Hijacking And Kidnapping

A 34-year-old Cape Town woman is grateful to be alive after being kidnapped, hijacked and shoved into the boot of her car in Gugulethu. She was rescued along Baden Powell Drive near Sonwabi Beach after alert officers spotted her abandoned VW Polo and decided to investigate.

The woman, who cannot be identified, was emotional and shaken but expressed deep gratitude to the officers who intervened. Her boyfriend, speaking on her behalf, said this was not her first encounter with violent crime.

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“She is not doing good at all, she is still crying and shaking, she is very grateful as things could have turned the other way,” he said. “I just want to say to them ‘thank you for saving her life, she could have been among those we read about in the newspaper.’”

He added that she had been hit during the attack: “During a scuffle she was hit on her right arm and back. What she needs now is counselling because this is not her first time being a victim of a robbery.”

Attackers Forced Woman Into Boot After Trying to Smash Her Windscreen

The ordeal began in the early hours of Tuesday morning. The mother was driving home to Crossroads from a bereavement gathering when three men attempted to smash her windscreen with a brick while she travelled along NY5 Circle, Gugulethu.

The attackers overpowered her, climbed into the vehicle and forced her into the boot of the VW Polo — which belongs to her boyfriend. They then drove around with her before abandoning the vehicle along Baden Powell Road between Strandfontein and Muizenberg.

A law enforcement team and police officers noticed the suspicious parked car and went to inspect it. What they discovered shocked them.

According to a crime fighter who assisted at the scene: “They approached the vehicle and thought it could be criminal activity such as drugs. When they searched the vehicle, they found a handbag on one of the seats and noticed the key was still in the car. They knew something was not right. The car was abandoned.”

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He said the officers initially thought the occupants were on the beach — until they opened the boot.

“They got such a fright, no one expected the woman to be inside. She was traumatized by the experience.”

Inside the vehicle, officers also found a stash of bank and credit cards allegedly linked to other crimes.

Rising Violence Against Women Sparks Renewed Calls for Urgent Action

The rescue comes just days after Women for Change led a nationwide shutdown demanding that gender-based violence (GBV) be declared a state of disaster. President Cyril Ramaphosa has since acknowledged that GBV is both a national and global crisis.

GBV organisations welcomed the woman’s survival but stressed that many do not make it out alive.

Siya Monakali from Ilitha Labantu said: “While we are relieved that she survived this ordeal, she is one of the few fortunate cases. For countless other women across South Africa, incidents such as these end in tragedy.”

“As the nation marks the beginning of 16 Days of Activism, this incident reminds us of the constant state of violence women face. This campaign cannot be symbolic. Survivors should not have to rely on luck to escape harm — protection should be automatic and guaranteed.”

SAPS spokesperson Captain FC Van Wyk confirmed the suspects remain at large. “A hijacking and kidnapping case was registered at Gugulethu SAPS for investigation. The victim was rescued by the police when she was recovered in the boot of her vehicle on Baden Powell Road, and she was unharmed. Investigations continue, no arrest yet.”

Community policing structures, including the Mitchells Plain CPF, said they were aware of the incident and would support the ongoing investigation.

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