POLOKWANE – The Polokwane Regional Court has sentenced 40-year-old Simon Andile Nyathi to 15 years in prison for motor vehicle theft and contravention of the Immigration Act.

The sentence was delivered on Tuesday (August 26).

Court records revealed that Nyathi was arrested in May last year near a fuel station along the N1 after police received information about a stolen vehicle.

The vehicle, belonging to the SAPS Crime Intelligence Unit, had been reported stolen in Soshanguve, Gauteng, two days prior.

Acting on the tip-off, members of the Limpopo Provincial Tracking Team, working with Mighty Security and Tshimollo Security and Investigation, intercepted the vehicle and arrested Nyathi.

He was charged with theft of a motor vehicle and contravention of the Immigration Act.

The case was investigated by Sergeant Mmalesetja Senyatsi from the Polokwane Vehicle Crime Investigation Unit (VCIU).

The court sentenced Nyathi as follows:

• Count 1: Theft of motor vehicle – 15 years’ imprisonment in terms of Section 51(2), Part II of Schedule 2 of the Criminal Law Amendment Act 105 of 1997.

• Count 2: Contravention of Section 9(3)(a), read with Section 1 and Section 49(1)(a) of the Immigration Act 13 of 2002 – 2 years’ imprisonment.

The court ordered the sentences to run concurrently, resulting in an effective 15-year prison term.

Provincial police commissioner Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe welcomed the sentence and praised the investigating officer and the arresting team for ensuring justice was served.