Basket of Woolies groceries costs Durban man his luxury coupé

Its official: a basket of Woolworths groceries has cost a Durban man his Mercedes-Benz C300 coupé.

Natasha Kara, NPA KZN spokesperson, said the Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU) in KwaZulu-Natal obtained a forfeiture order for the car belonging to Mbuso Moloi on Wednesday.

Moloi is charged with theft and public violence relating to the looting of a Woolworths store in Glenwood during the violence and unrest that took place in various parts of KwaZulu-Natal in July last year.

Kara said the car, which was forfeited on the basis that it was an “instrumentality of the offences”, was valued at about R500,000 at the time of the offence. As it is still subject to a purchase agreement with a bank, the vehicle will be handed over to the bank.

Moloi's criminal case is set down for trial in March next year. He is out on bail of R5,000 subject to certain reporting conditions.

TimesLIVE

Support independent journalism by subscribing to the Sunday Times. Just R20 for the first month.