A man from Harare appeared in court yesterday for allegedly selling his girlfriend’s car without her knowledge. The man, Witness Chinemo, and his associate, Nesbert Mutengezana, were charged with theft of trust property and appeared before Harare magistrate Mrs. Munashe Chibanda. They were remanded out of custody until August 8.
What transpired?
The prosecution, led by Mr. Zebediah Bofu, alleged that in February, the woman left her South African registered Toyota Fortuner in the care of her boyfriend, Chinemo, while she went to tend to her sick child. The vehicle had been brought into the country by the woman on a temporary import permit. Upon her return from South Africa, her boyfriend informed her that the car had been stolen.
After conducting her own investigations, the woman discovered that the car had not been reported stolen. She then reported the incident to the police, leading to the arrest of Chinemo. Further investigations revealed that Chinemo had given the car to his accomplice, Mutengezana, who sold it for US$9500.
It was not revealed what condition or version the stolen vehicle was. However, the latest Toyota Fortuner, which has a new design of 18-inch alloy wheels costs about R653 500 ($35,462.37) in South Africa. The previous version’s base price was R641 900 ($34,832.89).