‘I felt like Thabo Bester’: Motorist who drove off with VIP protector’s car keys

A KwaZulu-Natal businesswoman who drove away with a police officer’s car keys, prompting a highspeed chase, has accused Tshwane city manager Johann Mettler’s blue light bodyguards for making her feel like Thabo Bester.

However, Tshwane spokesperson Selby Bokaba said the Tshwane Metro Police Department (TMPD) VIP Protector was driving along Francis Baard Street on Monday when he came across a motorist, Mbali Ndlovu, who was allegedly obstructing traffic in a silver Mercedes-Benz.

Refused to obey instruction

“The police official activated a siren and signalled to the female motorist to move to avoid obstructing traffic, but she allegedly refused to obey his instruction.

“He stepped out of the vehicle, approached her, and showed her his appointment certificate. He informed her he was going to issue her with a traffic fine.

“While he was writing down the fine, she allegedly grabbed his official vehicle’s keys, removed them from the ignition, drove off and left the police official stranded in the inner city,” he said.

Bokaba said the police official called his supervisor, and the supervisor, together with freeway patrol, located the suspect through the vehicle’s tracking system and chased her on the R21 south.

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He said during the high-speed chase, she allegedly kept ignoring the police instruction to bring her rental car to a halt – but she ultimately stopped.

Apprehended at OR Tambo airport

“After stopping, police politely requested her to hand over the keys to a state vehicle, and she allegedly refused.

“She drove off again, apparently in a rush to catch a flight, and police gave chase and eventually apprehended her at the OR Tambo International Airport.”

Bokaba said the keys were recovered from the suspect, who’s a senior manager at a subsidiary of one of the water boards.

Ndlovu said she didn’t feel safe because the person was driving an unmarked vehicle and dressed in civilian clothes.

“I double parked to drop my colleague, but there were no cars behind me when suddenly I saw the blue lights.”

“I didn’t know the man was coming towards me. The car was unmarked and the guy wore khaki pants and a pink shirt. So I was scared.”

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Ndlovu said he forced her to open her window and demanded her driver’s licence before disappearing with it back to his unmarked vehicle with the blue lights.

“He said he was a policeman but showed a card that said City of Tshwane,” she said.

‘I was shocked’

Ndlovu asked the official what she had done wrong and demanded back her licence card when he allegedly said she was obstructing him from driving.

“I was shocked that he said I obstructed him and asked back my licence card.”

She said when he refused to return her licence she walked to his vehicle to see if it was on the seat.

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“I didn’t see my licence but I saw his car keys. I took the keys and I said to him, if you want your keys, you are going to give me back my driver’s licence,” she said.

Ndlovu said the officer shouted at her, so she told him she would drive to the nearest police station and wait for him there.

She says officers laughed at her

She claims she tried to phone the TMPD three times to explain what had happened and that she had the keys with her, only for the officers to laugh at her.

Ndlovu, who was in Pretoria for a meeting, said she left for the airport and was arrested there by the TMPD and taken back to Pretoria. “I felt like Thabo Bester,” she said.

Ndlovu missed her flight, was arrested and released on R500 bail at 3am the following day. The case was postponed for further investigation.

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