Thieves Steal JMPD Branded Vehicle in Soweto, Locals Amused: "Banana Republic"
- Thieves in Soweto drove off in a vehicle belonging to the JMPD after officers arrived in the area to investigate a complaint
- The incident happened in Senoane on Sunday before the criminals later ditched the vehicle in the nearby location of Chiawelo
- A picture of the recovered branded Toyota Corolla sedan was shared on Twitter by social cohesion advocate Yusuf Ambramjee
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Few things nowadays are capable of rendering South Africans in complete shock. And the idea that a cop car could be the target of lowly criminals is even more beyond some locals, who'd much rather dismiss the notion as something from a movie script.
However, this exact incident occurred in an area of Soweto on Sunday when about three officers from the Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) stopped to investigate a complaint about a tent erected in the middle of a road.
Source: Getty Images
Local anti-crime activist and social cohesion advocate Yusuf Ambramjee shared an image of the law enforcement Toyota Corolla sedan on Twitter.
"JMPD vehicle stolen in Phuti Soweto and recovered in Tshiawelo," the short caption read.
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From the information available online, officers had exited the vehicle before the suspects, who were keeping a close eye on the crew's movements nearby, jumped into the branded vehicle and drove off.
Police investigation underway
However, the thieves seemed to abandon their mission after the vehicle was later found abandoned a five minutes drive away in Chiawelo. The car was recovered with its right front wheels, rear wheels and front bumper damaged.
JMPD spokesperson chief superintendent Wayne Minnaar told Briefly News that "an investigation has just been started" and is still in its early stages after a case of theft and vandalism was opened at Moroka police station.
"The investigation will establish if the officers were negligent or not. One cannot predict the outcome, it wouldn't be a fair process," Minnaar told Briefly News.
Abramjee's tweet attracted more than 700 likes, 400 retweets, and 200 comments as locals reacted to the mind-blowing development. Rather than the expected stunned reactions, netizens took the mickey out of the officers who were at the receiving end of the car theft.
Amused reactions from locals
Briefly News took to the comments section to bring readers all the amused reactions.
@tourist_ms wrote:
"Hhay guys. Please tell me it’s some December fool’s joke!!!! I refuse to believe this !!!! @NetflixSA yizani la."
@veli_ndumiso said:
"Joy ride grown up in Zola we used to see this a lot ama Grootman ayothatha imoto yamapoyisa jus for fun."
@Vito08095507 added:
"Chances are these metro guys were at a Shisanyama when their ride got stolen."
SA bamboozled as video shows suspects robbing victim
Elsewhere, a video making the rounds on social media has South Africans feeling uneasy and on the edge of their seats as the festive season goes into fifth gear.
Briefly News reported that a 45-second clip that captures the occupant of a vehicle getting robbed in the driveway of their home was shared on Twitter by Abramjee. It has since drawn loud reactions from locals on the microblogging platform.
The caption read:
"Robbery: Steenbrass Avenue Lenasia Ext 8 JHB."
The grainy video shows a light delivery vehicle (LDV) stationed at the gate of a home before another car appears coming up behind it in the frame. Three men are seen jumping out of the pursuing vehicle and quickly running towards the victim or victims.
Source: Briefly News
