A 23-year-old Beit Bridge resident, who was arrested at a road block after stealing a South African haulage truck at a local service station, was sentenced to 10 years in jail.

Respect Chauke of House Number 1532 Dulibadzimu Township in Beit Bridge pleaded not guilty to a charge of motor theft but was convicted by Magistrate Joseph Mabeza on Friday. He will serve an effective eight years in jail after two years of the sentence were conditionally suspended for five years.

Prosecutor Johannes Tlou said that on 23 October at around 19:00, the complainant was cleaning his employer’s truck, a Scania, at the Caltex Service Station in Beit Bridge. After he had finished cleaning the vehicle, he left the engine running with the keys in the ignition as he returned the bucket to the garage storeroom. Chauke, who was observing proceedings from a distance, then took advantage of the complainant’s absence, got into the truck and drove it away.

On coming back, the complainant discovered that the truck was missing and he was alerted by his assistant, who had spotted the truck being driven away. They then gave chase with another vehicle, a Nissan Navara, and caught up with Chauke at a road block, about 10km out of the border town, where he had been stopped by police. They reported him to the police and he was arrested.