Foreigner gets 12 years in jail after being caught with stolen car

A 35-year-old foreign national was sentenced to 12 years behind bars on Friday after being found to be in South Africa illegally when he was caught with a stolen car. The man was apprehended after police received information about a Toyota Prado VX, valued at R900 000, that was going to be smuggled into Zimbabwe. The car was stolen in Pretoria in August 2025.

Police spokesperson Colonel Malesela Ledwaba said the vehicle was spotted driving on the R71 towards Mankweng on Wednesday. Malesela said a car chase ensued until the suspect crashed the Toyota Prado. “The team tried to stop the vehicle, but the driver, Kenias Chimbwanda, sped off towards Solomondale.

“The team gave chase and the Prado crashed near the Solomondale railway line, colliding with the local principal’s motor vehicle,” he said. Malesela said after the suspect was arrested and the car was seized, investigators discovered that the vehicle was reported stolen at Lyttelton policing area in Pretoria on Wednesday, 27 August 2025, at about 9am. The suspect appeared before the Mankweng Magistrate’s Court and was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment for contravention of the Immigration Act and 10 years for possession of a stolen motor vehicle. READ NEXT:Foreign national arrested for possession of explosives near Beitbridge border