Would-be car thief remanded in custody

A 29-YEAR-OLD man from Mutare has appeared in court after he tried to smuggle a South African vehicle that he had affixed with Zimbabwean registration plates into the country through Beitbridge Border Post.

Tedious Desmond Munyaradzi Mhungira was not asked to plead to charges of theft of a motor vehicle when he appeared before Beitbridge magistrate Mr Trevor Nyatsanza.

He was remanded in custody to October 6 for trial.

Prosecuting, Miss Nomathemba Sayi told the court that on September 17, Mhungira, who is a prohibited immigrant in South Africa, went to Solomon Makondo’s house in Johannesburg and stole his Isuzu KB250 with South African registration numbers FH90ZR GP.

He then removed the original number plates and affixed Zimbabwean registration plates ABR2014.

Mhungira, Miss Sayi said, proceeded to Beitbridge Border Post en route to Mutare.

He managed to pass through the South Africa side of the border.

The court heard that when he got to the Zimbabwean side he went through all the border formalities.

Miss Sayi said Mhungira’s luck ran out when he was spotted by Makondo who was also visiting Zimbabwe on business.

She said the complainant then sought the assistance of two security guards to apprehend Mhungira near the green route shed.

Upon realising that he had been cornered, Mhungira tried to flee from the border but was overpowered by the two guards who jumped onto the car and apprehended him.

The prosecutor said they then handed Mhungira over to police detectives who recovered a local registration book of a Toyota Dyna with the number plates, which had been fitted to the stolen vehicle.

Miss Sayi said Mhungira was also found with four sets of different car keys.