‘Woolies looter’ Mbuso Moloi (32) yesterday appeared before the Durban regional court where he pleaded guilty to theft and contravention of the National Road Traffic Act 93 of 1996.

His plea relates to the theft of certain household items from a Woolworths store in the Davenport area of Durban during the public violence and looting that took place in various parts of KZN in July 2021.

According to NPA spokesperson Natasha Ramkisson-Kara, Moloi contravened the road traffic regulation by not having the requisite licence plates for the vehicle he was driving at the time of the commission of the offence.

What transpired that day

“In his plea Moloi said that on the day, he and his friend were driving around with the intention of purchasing some items. When they drove into Davenport, he noticed that people were emerging from a Woolworths store.”

She added that Moloi said that at the spur of the moment, he stopped his vehicle and went into that store where he picked up a plastic shopping basket and filled it with a few items.

“He then left the store without paying and placed the basket in his vehicle before driving off. His explanation for the car licence plates was that he had failed to replace the ‘dealer plates’ with the relevant/correct licence plates allocated to the vehicle,” said Ramkisson-Kara.

Car forfeited

She added that the car, a Mercedes-Benz C300 coupe, has since been forfeited by the Asset Forfeiture Unit of the NPA in KwaZulu-Natal.

“Since the vehicle was under a purchase agreement from a bank, it was handed over to the bank.”

She said the matter was remanded to May 31 for pre-sentencing reports. The court extended his bail in the interim.