In an unusual case, a mechanic who fixes cars in his yard on Annan Road in Carletonville is going to court on three criminal charges.
A resident, Mr Abram Mashego, took his black 2009 model BMW to the mechanic, Lindani Mokwena, in 2022 for repairs.
“People I know recommended him, and I trusted that he could help me,” says Mashego.
Despite many pleas, Mokwena, who specialises in fixing BMWs, never gave Mashego the car back.
Mashego eventually opened a theft case with the Carletonville police towards the end of last year.
However, when two Carletonville detectives, the investigating officer, Sgt Ernest Tshivango, and a colleague, Sgt Thabo Kharejane, went to him to make enquiries, Mokwena allegedly threatened that he would get a hitman against them if they did not leave him alone.
The detectives also determined that the engine of the car had disappeared. They circulated the engine number to other police stations to see whether they could track it down somewhere else.
As a result, the police charged Mokwena (43) with theft for the missing engine and two charges of intimidation for threatening each of the Carletonville detectives.
He appeared in the Oberholzer Magistrate’s Court for the first time on 28 January.
His last court appearance was on 20 March. He will appear in court again on 6 April.
Mashego says the BMW was his only car and he is now without a vehicle.
“This has also affected my small business,” he complains.
