Every day, South African news sites are littered with videos of hijackings and car theft.

Sometimes, citizens fight back, but for the large part, we make use of private security measures in the hope that they will be more effective than the likes of the SAPS.

According to a Carte Blanche segment that aired this past Sunday, consumers aren’t always getting what they think they paid for.

Here’s the write-up:

From the mall to the garage right at your doorstep, the hijacking and theft of vehicles is a daily reality for most South Africans and installing a tracking device isn’t a luxury, it’s a necessity. So motorists pay hundreds of Rands to tracking companies to help recover their cars when they’re stolen.

But what happens when the exclusive ground and air recovery teams that have been promised to look for your vehicle, are made up of unregistered, unarmed and under-qualified agents? Carte Blanche investigates.

They sent Devi Sankaree Govender to do the job, and you know she doesn’t mess around.

Here’s your word of warning that you might want to research your vehicle tracking system company:

[source:carteblanche]