2021 July unrest: ‘Woolies looter’ Mbuso Moloi pleads guilty to theft

Mbuso Moloi, the so-called “Woolworths looter”, has pleaded guilty to charges of theft after he was caught on video during the 2021 July unrest allegedly looting a basket of goods from a Woolworths food store in KwaZulu-Natal.

2021 July unrest

The 32-year-old appeared before the Durban Regional Court on Wednesday on charges of theft and contravention of the National Road Traffic Regulation. He pleaded guilty to both charges.

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His plea relates to the theft of certain household items from a Woolworths store in the Davenport area during the acts of public violence and looting that took place in various parts of KwaZulu-Natal in July 2021.

Moloi contravened the road traffic regulation by not having the correct licence plates for the vehicle he was driving at the time of the offence.

Guilty plea

In his plea, Moloi said he and his friend were driving around on the day with the intention of purchasing some items.

When they drove into Davenport, he noticed that people were emerging from a Woolworths store. On the spur of the moment, he stopped his vehicle and entered the store.

“He picked up a plastic shopping basket and filled it with a few items. He then left the store without paying and placed the basket in his vehicle before driving off,” said NPA regional spokesperson Natasha Ramkisson-Kara in a statement.

Moloi’s explanation for the car licence plates was that he had failed to replace the ‘dealer plates’ with the relevant or correct licence plates allocated to the vehicle, said Ramkisson-Kara.

Car used in alleged looting case

The car, a Mercedes Benz C300 coupe, has since been forfeited by the Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU) of the NPA in KwaZulu-Natal. The vehicle is said to be worth around R500 000.

Since the vehicle was under a purchase agreement from a bank, it was handed over to the bank.

The matter was remanded to 31 May 2023 for pre-sentencing reports.

The court extended Moloi’s bail in the interim. He was granted bail of R5 000 in August 2021.

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