A TAXIMAN claims his family is starving after police stole his Toyota Venture taxi.
Worried Muzi Mtsweni from Leslie in Mpumalanga told Daily Sun that he had gone out when three K9 cops from Secunda raided his home in the morning of 3 February.
He said the rude police forcefully took papers of his taxi from his wife.
“When I came back home, I found the three cops who couldn’t show me a search warrant. They only produced the papers they had taken from my wife. Police said they were looking for the car, and I told them that it was busy operating with my driver transporting staff. They left and later stopped it on the road where they off-loaded the passengers and driver. They claim it was identical to another one in Pretoria, and refused to give me the seizure documents when impounding it,” Mtsweni said.
“On 9 February, I found the car parked with police vehicles at Leslie Police Station. When I asked the station Commander why it was not handed in or locked in the SAP 13 since it was impounded, he replied that only Ermelo police would decide on it. The following day, the car was in the SAP 13,” he continued.
“The police played me; they stole my car and then refused when I wanted to press charges against them. I then went to the local traffic licensing centre where officials said there was no record of the matter,” said Mtsweni.
Brigadier Leonard Hlathi said the allegations were not true.
“The allegations by Mtsweni that police stole his vehicle are not true, and he is aware of the pending investigation. The car was correctly received by Leslie SAPS, and is currently kept at the police station while the other identical vehicle is at Hebron SAPS. Both vehicles are still under investigation,” said Hlathi.
He said on 3 February, the Secunda K9 unit handed in a green Toyota Venture that belonged to Mtsweni, which was impounded and booked in for inquiry.
“This was after the K9 unit members received information from Pretoria K9 unit of an alleged “twin” motor vehicle that was booked in at Hebron SAPS. Both belonged to Mtsweni, and had to be booked in for further investigation by the Ermelo and Pretoria vehicle theft units. The seizure forms were completed and sent to the relevant department to commence with the investigation. This action was taken to determine which of the two cars was the original, and then destroy the fake one. Both share the same VIN or chassis number,” said Hlathi.
