- A Mpumalanga mechanic has been arrested for allegedly using a client’s car without her permission
- It is alleged that the man kept the car and claimed that additional repairs were necessary at a cost of R 6000.
- The client was alerted, and she reported the matter to the police.
A Mpumalanga woman claims she was taken for a ride when her motor mechanic took her car for a ride. The mechanic has since been arrested.
According to Mpumalanga police spokesperson Brigadier Selvy Mohlala, the woman took her Chevrolet Aveo to the 34-year-old mechanic on Sunday to have the faulty engine repaired.
She was expected to pay R800 for the repair and left her car there.
When she returned, the mechanic would not let her take the vehicle.
Mohlala said:
Despite her pleas for the return of her car, he refused to give it back to her.
Later, people who said they knew what the woman’s car looks like, said they saw the mechanic “gallivanting” around Moloto in the vehicle.
“The victim was then contacted immediately,” Mohlala said.
“She then reported the matter to the police [in] KwaMhlanga. The man was arrested and a case of driving a motor vehicle without owner’s consent was opened,” Mohlala added.
The mechanic is expected to appear in the KwaMhlanga Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday.
Provincial police commissioner Lieutenant General Semakaleng Manamela warned business owners to avoid exploiting people, especially women and vulnerable groups.
“It is possible that the mechanic might have taken advantage seeing that the complainant is a woman and has little knowledge about vehicles. This tendency must stop now. I further request others to report incidents of this nature and not to allow anyone to abuse them directly or indirectly” Manamela added.
