Police Minister held liable after woman’s VW Golf stripped of engine while in SAPS custody

Grant

Grant

Honorary Master
Joined
Mar 27, 2007
Messages
71,133
Reaction score
40,124
Location
just around the corner
The Minister of Police has been held liable for damages after a woman’s Volkswagen Golf was stripped of its engine while in police custody, with the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria ruling that an indemnity she signed when collecting the vehicle could not be enforced against her in the circumstances.

Acting Judge Jacques Minnaar found that the South African Police Service (SAPS) had failed in its duty to safeguard Suzette Ropafadzo Paradza’s 2014 Volkswagen Golf while it was stored as an exhibit at the SAPS 13 storage facility in Pretoria West.

Paradza instituted a civil claim against the Minister of Police after discovering that her vehicle had been stripped of its engine and that its keys could not be found when she and her husband went to collect it.
Her husband, Selestian Osiele, had bought the vehicle in 2019 or 2020 and gifted it to her.

The vehicle was taken into police custody in May 2022 after Osiele lent it to a friend, Ellen, who allegedly fabricated a hijacking story.
Warrant Officer Warren Timothy Bishop, the investigating officer, testified that he recovered the vehicle in Laudium on May 24, 2022. He said it was in working condition and had an engine, although it had no battery.
A security officer at the SAPS 13 storage facility, Mogadi Mashap Mashala, also confirmed that the vehicle was booked in with its engine fitted.
Click to expand...
 
i've seen a similar movie

many years back a car of mine was stolen.
it was a bmw 740i - bought specifically for towing a speedboat.

thanks to the boat's trailer - there were quite a few little dings under the rear bumper from the trailer's tow hitch.
a couple of weeks before it was stolen, i had new michelin tyres fitted.

car get stolen.
then some months later saps has an "open day" at their yard where recovered vehicles were stored.
out of curiosity a friend and i go along.
well blow me over - a 7 series, same color.
i take a proper look - towbar missing, but a whole lot of little dings around where it would have been.
tyres - 4 newish michelin tyres.
nose around a little more - definitely my car.

so off we go to the office to fill out some papers.
i contact the insurers to let them know the car has been recovered.

about a week later, friend and i, along with someone from the insurers go off the the police yard.
insurance guy produces his papers - off we go to the car.

sunroof is now open and rain poured into the car - it's a mess inside.
radio has been ripped out of the dashboard.
4 michelin tyres gone - replaced with 4 random odd sized tyres


nice work saps !
 
Chibuike testified that removing all the components would take between one and two days and that, in his view, the work had not been carried out by a specialist.

Although the judge did not accept Chibuike’s testimony as expert evidence, she accepted his experience of 29 years in the industry and his evidence about the time required to strip the vehicle.
Click to expand...

wise judge

👀
 
Grant said:
i've seen a similar movie

many years back a car of mine was stolen.
it was a bmw 740i - bought specifically for towing a speedboat.

thanks to the boat's trailer - there were quite a few little dings under the rear bumper from the trailer's tow hitch.
a couple of weeks before it was stolen, i had new michelin tyres fitted.

car get stolen.
then some months later saps has an "open day" at their yard where recovered vehicles were stored.
out of curiosity a friend and i go along.
well blow me over - a 7 series, same color.
i take a proper look - towbar missing, but a whole lot of little dings around where it would have been.
tyres - 4 newish michelin tyres.
nose around a little more - definitely my car.

so off we go to the office to fill out some papers.
i contact the insurers to let them know the car has been recovered.

about a week later, friend and i, along with someone from the insurers go off the the police yard.
insurance guy produces his papers - off we go to the car.

sunroof is now open and rain poured into the car - it's a mess inside.
radio has been ripped out of the dashboard.
4 michelin tyres gone - replaced with 4 random odd sized tyres


nice work saps !
Click to expand...
More or less same story. Sister in law hijacked. Car recovered, boot lock and ignition broken, vehicle identification plate missing, otherwise fine. Even washed and polished.

Police procedures follows for releasing it ... tick, tock. Eventually car is released, no battery, hub caps gone, tyres replaced, jack and spare wheel gone, radio gone ...

insurance fixed it. She was unhappy with car after that, bad memories. She sold it.

New car was promptly stolen.
 
¯\_(ツ)_/¯ said:
More or less same story. Sister in law hijacked. Car recovered, boot lock and ignition broken, vehicle identification plate missing, otherwise fine. Even washed and polished.

Police procedures follows for releasing it ... tick, tock. Eventually car is released, no battery, hub caps gone, tyres replaced, jack and spare wheel gone, radio gone ...

insurance fixed it. She was unhappy with car after that, bad memories. She sold it.

New car was promptly stolen.
Click to expand...
Nobody knows what the hell you are on about
 
Heisenborg said:
Nobody knows what the hell you are on about
Click to expand...
Sorry, special instructions for you:

  • Highlight the text in my previous post by dragging the mouse cursor over the text, then right click and select Copy.
  • Go to https://gemini..google.com in your browser.
  • Move your mouse to the prompt box in the previously opened window.
  • Type in "Please rewrite this so that a three year old toddler would understand it:"
  • Once again, press your mouses right button, but this time select Paste. What I said should now appear in the prompt box.
  • Press Submit.

You are welcome!

/Edit: Bumped to rev 1 to clarify the obvious for the slow.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top
Sign up to the MyBroadband newsletter
X