“I just wanted to wash the car”: thief

VEREENIGING.- The man who jumped behind the wheel of another man’s motor vehicle, drove away with it and then proceeded to write off the car 40km further during a wild chase, says his intention was just to wash the car. Isaac Mokwala testified in his case before Magistrate Chris Kruger in the Vereeniging Regional Court recently, saying that he initially thought the vehicle belonged to a friend of his – one “Vincent”. However, he said that after getting behind the wheel and driving away to wash the vehicle, he could hear people screaming and saying that he had stolen the car. According to Mokwala, he got scared as he now apparently found himself on the wrong side of the law and kept driving. According to his version, he was afraid of what people would do to him and could not think straight. He then lost control of the vehicle and it rolled. Mokwala was found guilty of car theft. Magistrate Chris Kruger rejected Mokwala’s testimony, saying he was a “pathetic witness”. “It is very rare for a witness to be called to testify and you hear such total nonsense being said.” Kruger pointed out that Mokwala constantly evaded questions from the prosecutor, Amukelani Rikhotso, and contradicted himself in his various versions of events. Harry Guys, the owner of the blue Nissan Almera, testified that on that particular day, May 31, he stopped by the road in Dawn Park, East Rand, to buy a bag of potatoes from a hawker and left the key in the ignition. Mokwala apparently jumped into the vehicle, drove forward, made a U-turn and then drove away in the opposite direction. Guys testified that he did not make an attempt to stop the vehicle, as Mokwala was speeding and he did not want to put himself in the path of the vehicle, as it would be dangerous. Justin Swanepoel, an employee of a vehicle tracking company, testified that they tracked down Mokwala and then chased him with a vehicle and helicopter. Swanepoel testified how Mowala showed him a middle finger during the chase. Shortly afterwards, Mokwala lost control of the vehicle and rolled it onto a dirt road. Guys testified that it “broke his heart” when he later saw the damage to his vehicle. The vehicle with an estimated value of R45 000, was written off. Magistrate Kruger believes that the state has proved beyond a reasonable doubt that Mokwala was guilty of car theft. The case was adjourned until October 12 for sentencing.