Online Reporter
Thupeyo Muleya, Beitbridge Bureau
A BEITBRIDGE man who snatched a Toyota Fortuner while the owner was popping in for a family visit has been slammed with a 48 month jail term.
Tawedzerwa Hove (37)learned the hard way this week that crime may be daring, but it doesn’t pay. He was initially slapped with a 48-month sentence, but regional magistrate Charity Maphosa conditionally set aside 18 months for five years, leaving him to serve two and a half years behind bars.
Hove wasn’t acting alone. He teamed up with Shakemore Ndou and Vincent Ndou, both of Beitbridge, plus two other accomplices who are still on the run.
According to prosecutor Willbrought Muleya, Hove stole the Fortuner worth nearly US$40 000 on 5 August around 7pm in Tshitaudze suburb.
Sikhumbuzo Mhlanga had parked his silver Fortuner at his mother’s home, leaving the engine running as he stepped inside. Inside the vehicle were US$300, R1 200 and two cellphones.
That’s when Hove and his crew pounced. They slipped into the idling SUV and sped off before Mhlanga could even process what was happening. Shocked and helpless, he watched his car vanish into the night.
The gang didn’t waste time. A few kilometres out of town, they ripped out the vehicle tracker and tossed it to kill the signal.
But their plan wasn’t foolproof. Mhlanga and his friends, refusing to give up, mounted their own search. After days of persistence, they finally caught up with Hove and recovered the Fortuner.
They handed both the suspect and the vehicle over to police, leading to Hove’s arrest and conviction.
Of the total stolen property, only the vehicle was recovered.
The hunt for the remaining suspects continues.
