Car theft ring accused in PE court

Lesotho nationals allegedly members of nationwide syndicate

TWO Lesotho nationals appeared in a Port Elizabeth court yesterday for allegedly being part of a nationwide syndicate which rents luxury vehicles and then drives them over the South African border – never to be seen again.

The men and women allegedly use falsified identity books and driver’s licences, as well as stolen credit cards to rent the vehicles before fleeing the country.

Makoanyane Lephole and Julia Hlasa appeared briefly in the Port Elizabeth Commercial Crimes Court yesterday, where their matter was postponed to tomorrow for a possible guilty plea and for a Sesotho interpreter to be present.

The prosecution said Lephole and Hlasa had formed part of a crime syndicate who conspired and agreed with each other to commit fraud.

They allegedly approached car rental establishments with the fraudulent intent to rent vehicles using false South African IDs, false driver’s licences and stolen bank cards to effect the rental agreement.

They face charges which include fraud, theft, forgery and uttering.

“Upon receipt of the leased vehicles the accused would drive the vehicles back to Lesotho, where they would be sold,” state advocate Wilhelm de Villiers said.

Because falsified documentation was used, the accused’s whereabouts – once they crossed the border – had become untraceable.

Lephole and Hlasa were nabbed in Port Elizabeth after they visited Avis Car Rental at the Greenacres Shopping Centre on December 9 in an attempt to rent a Mercedes-Benz C Class valued at R500 000.

Lephole, who is in his 40s, allegedly introduced himself as “Tokelo Petrus Makhete”, a South African citizen.

Hlasa, who is in her 20s, allegedly introduced herself as “Dieketseng Caroline Mogoeng”, also from South Africa.

Both produced green ID books confirming their identities, while Lephole presented a false driver’s licence and said he would be the designated driver of the rental car.

Hlasa said she was responsible for the payment.

According to the charge sheet, it was discovered that the Nedbank credit card she then presented to Avis had previously been reported stolen.

In addition, the ID books used by Lephole and Hlasa in fact belonged to the real Tokelo Petrus Makhete and Dieketseng Caroline Mogoeng.

Their photographs had been removed and replaced with pictures of the accused.

“The IDs were altered, imitated or defaced,” De Villiers said.

Lephole and Hlasa were remanded until tomorrow.