Forfeiture order granted for R500 000 Mercedes used in Woolworths looting case

Mbuso Moloi, the Durban North man who was caught on video allegedly looting a basket of goods from a Woolworths food store in Glenwood, made his first appearance in court.

Mbuso Moloi, the Durban North man who was caught on video allegedly looting a basket of goods from a Woolworths food store in Glenwood, made his first appearance in court.

Published Nov 17, 2022

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Durban - The Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU) in KwaZulu-Natal has obtained a forfeiture order for the Mercedes-Benz C300 Coupé belonging to Mbuso Moloi.

He faces charges of theft and public violence, for allegedly looting a basket of goods from Woolworths in Durban.

National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson Natasha Ramkisson-Kara said the order was granted on Wednesday

Moloi was allegedly caught on camera looting a basket of goods from a Woolworths store in the Glenwood area in July 2021, during the acts of public violence and looting in various parts of KZN.

“The car, which was forfeited on the basis that it is an instrumentality of the offences, was valued at approximately R500 000 at the time of the offence,” Ramkisson-Kara said.

She said the vehicle was under a purchase agreement with a bank and would be handed to the bank.

The criminal matter against Moloi was set down for trial from March 27 to March 31, 2023.

Alleged Mercedes-Benz looter Mbuso Moloi made his first court appearance at Durban High Court on July 29, 2021. File Picture: Tumi Pakkies African News Agency(ANA)

Moloi was out on R5 000 bail, with conditions attached, she said.

“The AFU welcomes this development as it reinforces the NPA's strategy to focus not only on prosecutions, but also on taking away assets where they are proved to be instrumental to the commission of crime,” said Ramkisson-Kara.

The NPA said that under Chapter 6 of the Prevention of Organised Crime Act, such recoveries were not reliant on convictions at the end of a trial and could be an effective deterrent against crime.

THE MERCURY