Woman beaten after 'gift' car turns out to be stolen
Owner reclaims vehicle in attack
An Ekurhuleni woman was beaten up after her husband innocently showered her with a “surprise gift” that turned out to be a stolen car bought from a Johannesburg car dealership.
Thembisile Ngozo, who works as a private nurse, said her dream of owning a car turned into reality last month when her husband bought her a second-hand Toyota Yaris.
“... my husband saw a post on Facebook, advertising a car I wanted... we called the dealer and went to see him .”
Ngozo and her husband negotiated with the dealer at Freeman Auto and the parties agreed to a selling price of R30,000, a reduction on the initial R35,000 asking price.
“Little did I know that would be the beginning of my nightmare. I took it home [on August 15] with the agreement that I would return to fetch the spare key when it was ready. I was also given the car’s [registration] papers.”
Ngozo said she drove the car to her place of work in Springs on August 19. “While I was inside, I heard a beeping sound by the driveway.
“I ran outside to check what was happening and found a man on my driver’s seat.
When I asked what was happening, the man and a lady he was with started beating me up. They pushed me to the ground and hit me with a spanner before they drove off.”
Ngozo said the woman, Phumzile Mokgobodi, showed her a card, claiming she was a Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) officer.
JMPD spokesperson Supt Wayne Minnaar said she was not a metro police officer.
Ngozo said: “My husband and I called the dealership and spoke to Justin, the owner. When I told him that the people who stole my car said it was theirs, he said I should not call the police and come to him the next day. I was puzzled.”
Ngozo said the next day they went to the dealership where they found the same Toyota Yaris parked in the yard. The man who beat her up was there and Justin said she should pick another car.
Justin said: “It was a misunderstanding that has now got my business in the middle. I got the car from a man who came to trade it off as his girlfriend’s car and I did not know that he sold me the car without consent because he gave me the papers of the car.”
He said he apologised to Ngozo and her husband.
“I offered them another car, which they refused as they demanded their full refund. I have agreed... I will pay their refund on October 7.”
Mokgobodi said she took her car to a mechanic in Alexandra.
“I gave the mechanic the car in August and when I went on a Monday five days later, he told me stories. So, I called my car tracker and they gave me the address where I went and I forcefully took it.”
Police spokesperson Cst Ronald Mvubu said they were investigating cases of car theft and assault.