A 41-year-old motorist shot dead near the N1 Carousel Plaza has thrust highway spike robberies back into the national spotlight, with unions warning that South Africa’s freeways are becoming killing fields.
Police are investigating murder and robbery after the man was killed on Sunday near the Carousel Plaza in Gauteng.
According to police spokesperson Colonel Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi, the man had been travelling with his wife when the couple reportedly stopped beside the road to relieve themselves. Two unidentified men allegedly approached them at gunpoint, robbed them and shot the husband. He was declared dead at the scene.
“No one has been arrested and police investigations are underway,” Nevhuhulwi said.
Police have not confirmed whether spikes were used in the latest attack, but the murder has revived fears about a well-known hotspot.
On 17 January 2025, two passengers were shot and killed and another injured during an armed robbery involving a minibus near the same Carousel Toll Plaza.
At the time, Gauteng traffic police said the vehicle had been spiked, while police also reported the driver had stopped to relieve himself.
It is part of a wider, deadly pattern that has stalked the N1 and N4 for years.
In June and July 2024, motorists were targeted in spiking robberies along the N1 near Bela-Bela, including a fatal attack.
In November 2024, police announced the arrest of five suspects linked to those cases, some facing murder charges.
In March 2025, four spiking incidents were reported on the N4 east of Pretoria near Libertus Bridge, with a motorist and passengers robbed. In March 2026, rocks were placed on the N4 between Silverlakes and Donkerhoek, leaving several vehicles with flat tyres.
The latest killing has prompted the Motor Industry Staff Association (MISA) to demand urgent action.
In a statement on Thursday, MISA chief executive for operations Martlé Keyter said the incident showed warnings had been ignored.
“Just two months ago, we warned that our roads must not become killing fields. Today, another family is mourning a loved one who left home and never returned,” Keyter said.
“The locations where these crimes occur are well known. Many of these routes are monitored by cameras. South Africans deserve to know why these criminals continue to operate with apparent impunity,” she said.
MISA is calling for increased visible policing and dedicated night patrols at high-risk locations, improved lighting and road safety infrastructure, better use of surveillance footage to identify suspects, and regular public updates on arrests, prosecutions and convictions linked to spiking and rock-throwing incidents.
Police investigations into the murder are continuing.
