A 42-year-old man was arrested in Mbombela on Monday, April 27, after police found him in possession of a ‘suspected stolen vehicle’.

He has since been released, after producing receipts proving that he had bought the vehicle, and was its rightful owner.

The man was arrested just after 18:30 when members of the police’s provincial Anti-Hijacking Task Team, performing routine tracking and tracing, observed a white Toyota Corolla Cross GR with Gauteng number plates driving suspiciously within the Mbombela area.

At the time, police said, the vehicle’s registration details were submitted by authorities and found not to exist.

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“Members proceeded to discreetly follow the vehicle until it stopped at a local shopping complex in Nelspruit. A tactical approach was executed, and the vehicle was searched. Preliminary investigations revealed that the vehicle had been reported stolen in Nigel in February 2026,” said Mpumalanga police spokesperson Captain Mpho Nonyane-Mpe.

The driver was placed under arrest and the vehicle was seized. While investigations continued, the man produced purchase receipts for the vehicle, proving that he was its rightful owner.

Nonyane-Mpe said the matter was not enrolled in court and the man was released.

Lowvelder’s attempts to obtain comment from the individual involved remained unanswered at the time of publication.

• This article was amended after publishing