How an undocumented man was jailed after stealing a SAPS crime intelligence bakkie
The Polokwane Regional Court sentenced Simon Andile Nyathi for theft of an Isuzu bakkie which belonged to SAPS crime intelligence unit, and contravention of the Immigration Act.
Image: SAPS
The Polokwane Regional Court sentenced 40-year-old Simon Andile Nyathi to 15 years’ imprisonment for theft of a motor vehicle, along with an additional sentence for contravening the Immigration Act.
In August, IOL reported that provincial police spokesperson in Limpopo, Colonel Malesela Ledwaba, said Nyathi was arrested in May 2024 near a fuel station along the N1 freeway.
Members of the Limpopo provincial tracking team, working alongside Mighty Security and Tshimollo Security and Investigation, had received information about a stolen silver Isuzu double cab.
According to police, the vehicle belonged to the SAPS crime intelligence unit and had been reported stolen in Soshanguve, Gauteng, on 2 May 2024.
After the vehicle was recovered, police arrested Nyathi and charged him with theft of a motor vehicle and contravention of South Africa’s Immigration Act.
The docket was assigned to Sergeant Mmalesetja Senyatsi of the Polokwane vehicle crime investigation unit for further investigation.
Nyathi was ultimately handed 15 years’ imprisonment for the vehicle theft and two years for contravening the Immigration Act. The court ruled that the sentences run concurrently, meaning he will serve an effective 15 years behind bars.
Limpopo police commissioner Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe welcomed the outcome and praised both the investigating officer and the arresting teams for their persistence.
In June, IOL reported a similar case in the province when the Mokopane Regional Court sentenced 37-year-old Zimbabwean national Joseph Kungwengwe to six years of direct imprisonment after he was found in possession of a stolen Toyota Corolla Cross.
Police intercepted and recovered the compact SUV in Mokopane on 29 December last year, and Kungwengwe was arrested shortly thereafter.
At the time, Ledwaba said the vehicle had been reported stolen in Brakpan, Gauteng, and was suspected to be en route to the Beitbridge border.
Limpopo’s provincial anti-smuggling team acted on intelligence indicating that the Toyota Corolla Cross was travelling along the N1 towards the border when officers moved in to stop it.
IOL News