Durban businesses handed hefty fine for receiving stolen goods
The court fined them R280 000, half of which was suspended for the two counts of receiving stolen property and R10 000 for failing to register as motor vehicle builder, thus resulting in the effective fine of R150 000.
TWO Durban-based companies, Wind Motors and South x South 29 (Pty) Ltd, were sentenced to a collective fine of R150 000 today after recently pleading guilty to two counts of receiving stolen property and one of failing to register as a motor vehicle builder.
The court fined them R280 000, half of which was suspended for the two counts of receiving stolen property and R10 000 for failing to register as motor vehicle builder, thus resulting in the effective fine of R150 000.
Wind Motors is a dealer in second-hand motor vehicle parts, building and modifying vehicles for the purposes of sale, while South x South 29 Ltd is an export company.
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Natasha Kara, regional spokesperson for the DPP, KZN said, in December 2018, a container packed at Wind Motors was transported to the Durban Harbour for shipment to Mauritius.
The SAPS received information that there were illicit goods in the container and it was stopped.
According to Kara, the search revealed that the motor vehicle parts in the container were linked to theft, robbery and fraud cases from the Durban area.
Further investigations revealed that Wind Motors, being a seller, builder and modifier of vehicles, was conducting business without relevant registration from the Department of Transport.
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It was also discovered that South x South 29 had received a stolen motor vehicle from a business associate.
Regional Court Prosecutor, Vishalan Moodley, told the court that this case sends out a warning to the auto-building and spare parts industry to ensure high levels of ethics and governance in their businesses.
“The conviction for failing to register as a motor vehicle builder is the first conviction of its kind in KwaZulu-Natal. The NPA welcomed this successful prosecution,” said Kara.
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