A 31-year-old man from Chitungwiza has been jailed for four years after stealing a Toyota Vanguard worth US$10,000 and trying to sell it to detectives who posed as potential buyers.
Nyasha Maruva, of Seke, was convicted by the Harare Magistrates’ Court for stealing the vehicle belonging to Michael Nyagurwe. He was sentenced to five years in prison, but eight months were suspended for five years on condition of good behaviour. A further four months were suspended on condition that he pays US$700 in restitution to the victim by October 30, leaving an effective prison term of four years.
The case began after Nyagurwe left his pearl Toyota Vanguard in the care of his mechanic at a garage in Marlborough, Harare, in July. The court heard that Maruva befriended the garage’s security guard and gained access to the vehicle’s keys.
The National Prosecuting Authority of Zimbabwe said Maruva returned to the garage in the early hours of August 24 and drove away in the vehicle, which was valued at US$10,000. The mechanic later informed Nyagurwe that the car was missing, prompting a police report.
The investigation was taken up by detectives from the CID Vehicle Theft Squad Harare Crack Team. On October 14, the detectives received information that Maruva was trying to sell the stolen vehicle. They posed as buyers, arranged a meeting and arrested him when he arrived.
The Toyota Vanguard was recovered, although its registration plates, ZINARA disc, radio licence disc and insurance disc were missing. Property worth US$9,900 was recovered from the vehicle, according to the prosecution, leaving the victim with the loss covered by the restitution order.
The arrest brought to court a method that has featured in several recent vehicle-theft cases: cars taken from homes, garages or rental businesses, then moved quickly towards a buyer, a car breaker or another unsuspecting customer. In a number of the cases, investigators recovered the vehicles before they could disappear from the country or be dismantled for parts.
In Harare, Benson Jakarasi received an effective four years and eight months after a break-in at a Belvedere home turned into an attempted car theft. The 31-year-old, who had no fixed address, was convicted of aggravated unlawful entry and theft of a motor vehicle.
The incident happened at about 11.30pm on September 21 at a house in McIlwaine Crescent Road belonging to 58-year-old Malcolm Thorncroft. Jakarasi scaled the security wall, forced open the main door and went to the fridge, where he stole five kilogrammes of meat valued at US$25.
Thorncroft noticed the intruder, locked himself in his bedroom and called the police. Jakarasi then found the keys to a Honda CR-V in a toolbox, went to the garage and began reversing the vehicle. Detectives arrived as he was attempting to drive away and fired a warning shot.
Jakarasi ran back into the house and hid behind a couch before officers found and arrested him. The meat and the vehicle were recovered. He was sentenced to 12 months for unlawful entry and four years for theft of a motor vehicle. Three months were suspended for five years on condition of good behaviour, while another month was suspended on condition that he pays US$25 to Thorncroft.
In another Harare case, Luckson Paribe Nelson was sentenced to an effective 20 years in prison after being convicted on five counts of motor vehicle theft involving hired cars worth a combined US$37,500.
The offences were committed between October 2024 and February 2025. Nelson used false identities and counterfeit national identity cards, drivers’ licences and vehicle documents to hire cars from individuals and rental companies. He later sold the vehicles to unsuspecting buyers.
The stolen vehicles included four Honda Fits and a Toyota Corolla. Investigators found that Nelson repeatedly asked for extensions to rental agreements before cutting contact with the owners. Tracking systems helped investigators locate all five vehicles, which were eventually recovered.
Police arrested Nelson on February 27, 2025. They recovered forged identity documents, fake drivers’ licences, counterfeit registration papers and a mobile phone linked to the offences. Fingerprint evidence and identification parades also connected him to the crimes.
The court treated the five counts as one for sentencing but imposed a 20-year prison term with no part suspended, reflecting the number of vehicles involved and the repeated use of forged documents to obtain them.
In Bulawayo, Brendon Ndlovu was jailed for an effective four years after stealing a Toyota Vitz from a house in Famona. The 30-year-old Hillside resident was convicted by the Bulawayo Magistrates’ Court and received a six-year sentence, with two years suspended for five years.
The court heard that on June 29, 2026, 53-year-old Pragji Darren Ghiren parked his Toyota Vitz at his mother’s house along Matopos Road. He locked the vehicle and left the keys with his mother, Shanti Pragi.
Ndlovu and Brian Mapfumo, who remains at large, jumped over the perimeter fence and broke into the house through the kitchen door. They stole the house keys and the vehicle keys before starting the Toyota Vitz and driving away.
Ndlovu was arrested on September 3 while trying to sell the car to breakers in Kelvin, Bulawayo. The vehicle, valued at US$7,000, was recovered intact. The court was told that Mapfumo was still wanted in connection with the theft.
The court heard that Tawanda Godfrey Magure, 46, left home for work and parked the Peugeot in an unlocked garage. Manyangadze forced his way into the house and stole the car keys, US$1,800 in cash and other valuables from a wardrobe. The total value of the stolen property was put at US$9,920.
On March 16, detectives spotted the Peugeot being driven in Murombedzi and pursued it. The chase ended with Manyangadze’s arrest and the recovery of the vehicle. He was sentenced at the Kwekwe Magistrates’ Court on March 26, just 14 days after being released from Marondera prison under an amnesty programme.
In Bulawayo, Tinashe Nigel Bhunu was sentenced to an effective four years after taking part in the theft of a car intended for a joyride to a musical show. Bhunu, 24, from Makokoba, appeared before regional magistrate Lungile Ncube on a charge of theft of a motor vehicle.
The court heard that on October 11, at about 2am, Johannes Tafara Toyendepi, 28, parked his blue Honda Fit at the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair grounds while attending a musical show. He closed the windows, locked the doors and took the keys with him.
Bhunu and two accomplices, Carlos Tadyiwa and Blessed Mlilo, then stole the vehicle using an unknown method to start it. The car was recovered after investigations by the Vehicle Theft Squad in Bulawayo led to the arrest of the suspects. It was valued at US$5,000.
Bhunu received six years in prison, with two years suspended on condition of good behaviour. Tadyiwa and Mlilo pleaded not guilty and were remanded in custody pending trial.
Passing sentence, Magistrate Ncube said: “You stole the car from the owner while he was enjoying himself at a musical show. Your actions plunged him into emotional distress and financial loss as he spent a lot of money looking for his car.
“You intended to plunge the complainant into financial loss. It was fortunate that you were caught.”
Across the cases, detectives recovered vehicles taken from private homes, garages, a rental operation and a public entertainment venue. Some were found after suspects tried to sell them, while others were traced through investigations and tracking systems. The sentences have ranged from four effective years to 20 years, with courts taking account of the value of the vehicles, the use of forged documents, repeat offending and the circumstances in which each car was taken.