A man from Springs who was employed for one day pleaded guilty to motor vehicle theft from his employer and was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment by the Alexandra Magistrates’ Court.
Vusumuzi Mashinini (29) was introduced by another employee to the employer, a taxi operator, in July this year. The operator immediately hired and assigned him some errands to do using a Ford Laser. The thief didn’t return in the evening or for the next three days. Also, he didn’t answer his phone and couldn’t be located at his address until Alex police called the employer to come to the station, as the car she had reported stolen, had been found in the township.
Mashinini had sold the vehicle to someone for R8 000 but couldn’t provide its registration papers to the buyer. He was arrested after police intervened in an argument between Mashinini and the buyer over the registration papers, at a car wash in the township.
They took the two men to the police station to resolve the dispute, only to discover that the vehicle had been reported stolen, leading to the accused’s arrest.
It’s not known if the buyer recovered any money but the vehicle was returned to its owner.
Also read: Hijacker gets 15-year sentence
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