In a recent court ruling, Zimbabwean man Cosmos Ndou, aged 36, was convicted and sentenced to eight years imprisonment for his involvement in the possession of a stolen motor vehicle and contravention of South Africa’s Immigration Act.
The sentencing took place at the Mokopane Regional Court in Limpopo after Ndou attempted to smuggle a stolen Toyota Fortuner to neighboring Zimbabwe via the Beitbridge port of entry last year.
Colonel Malesela Ledwaba, the spokesperson for the Limpopo police, provided details of the case. It was revealed that on September 18, Ndou was found in possession of a stolen bronze Toyota Fortuner, which had been reported stolen in the Brooklyn policing area of Gauteng province, two days prior.
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The arrest occurred in Limpopo when the security company at Mookgophong received an alert from a tracking company about the stolen vehicle approaching their location along R101 North.
The security team promptly intercepted the vehicle and informed the driver that it had been reported stolen. The police were then activated and arrested Ndou on the spot.
Sergeant Lesiba Teffo of the Modimolle Vehicle Crime Investigation Unit (VCIU) was assigned to further investigate the case.
As a result of the investigation, Ndou was found guilty and subsequently sentenced to six years imprisonment for possession of a stolen motor vehicle and two years imprisonment for contravening the Immigration Act.
Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe, the provincial commissioner of police in Limpopo, expressed satisfaction with the court’s decision and commended the investigating officer and the security team for their diligent work in apprehending Ndou.
This successful outcome demonstrates the commitment of law enforcement to combat vehicle theft and cross-border smuggling.
This is not the first case of its kind in the region. In a previous report, a 35-year-old South African man was convicted and sentenced in the Mokopane court for attempting to smuggle a stolen silver Toyota Fortuner to Zimbabwe.
The court sentenced Shane Mthombeni to six years of direct imprisonment without the option to pay a fine.
The arrest took place at the Nyl Toll Plaza along the N1 Highway when the Limpopo police’s provincial tracking team, in collaboration with a private security company, acted on gathered information and apprehended the driver.
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