Toyota stolen 14 years ago in Eastern Cape found by police in Mpumalanga

Mpumalanga police have recovered a Toyota Corolla sedan reported stolen 14 years ago in the Eastern Cape after noticing something amiss.

Police spokesperson Capt Magonseni Nkosi said officers were doing a vehicle verification on a white Toyota Corolla and noticed the vehicle identification number (VIN) on the licence disc did not correspond with the VIN on the body of the vehicle.

Further investigation revealed the vehicle was reported stolen in Komani (Queenstown) in December 2010.

Nkosi said the driver, a 31-year-old male, was arrested by members of a joint task team at the Nerston Port of Entry — on the border of South Africa and Eswatini on Saturday.

He is expected to appear in the Amsterdam magistrate’s court on Monday for possession of a suspected stolen vehicle.

Nkosi said there was a possibility a further charge, related to the theft of a motor vehicle, would be added later.

Provincial police commissioner Lt Semakaleng Daphney Manamela applauded members for an “exceptional recovery” after more than a decade had passed.

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