Dealer steals US$90k vehicle from SA car wash, court told

Yeukai Karengezeka

Court Correspondent

A CAR dealer who allegedly stole a top-of-the-range vehicle worth more than US$90 000 at a car wash in South Africa and smuggled it into Zimbabwe where he sold it, appeared in court yesterday.

Aleck Dzepatsva appeared before Harare regional magistrate Mrs Marehwanazvo Gofa charged with theft of a motor vehicle.

Dzepatsva, who was represented by lawyer Mr Malvern Mapako, was granted US$600 bail, ordered to surrender his passport and to report once every week at Vehicle Theft Squad.

The State alleged that on 25 April, Dzepatsva, working in connivance with his accomplice who is still at large, went to Ellentree Carwash, Cosmosdal, Pretoria, South Africa and stole a silver Ford Everest, registration number JACEGP and with chassis number MNBRXXMAWRPU66246 and engine number YNWQRPU66246.

Dzepatsva smuggled the car into Zimbabwe and took it to Harare.

He tampered with the chassis number and removed the registration number plates so as to change the identity of the motor vehicle and then sold it to Asante Branson.

Branson then took the motor vehicle to Chris Tatenda Kwaramba at Auto Expo Car Sale, Milton Park, Harare from whom it was recovered on 27 July after it was traced through a fitted tracking device.