Written-off car forfeited to state
The ‘elated’ soon-to-be wife of Sandile Ncgobo, an accused in the R320m Durban Solid Waste (DSW) corruption and fraud trial, drove off in her new R1m Jaguar F-Pace SUV from a car dealership in November 2017.
But the vehicle, which was later written off, has now been found to be an ‘instrumentality’ of crime relating to dodgy municipal deals, according to TimesLIVE.
It has been forfeited to the state, which ultimately will only receive the R450 000 insurance payout.
The circumstances of how it was written off are not explained in the recent ruling, in which Vuyiswa Ngcobo, now married to Sandile, attempted to block the forfeiture, claiming the luxury vehicle was an early wedding gift from her late mother.
The car was previously found to be an ‘instrumentality’ of an offence, under the Prevention of Organised Crime Act by a single judge.
Vuyiswa appealed that ruling.
But three judges, sitting in the KZN High Court (Pietermaritzburg), have now said she has no case.
The appeal was dismissed with Vuyiswa ordered to pay the costs.
The Ngcobos were arrested earlier this year on criminal charges relating to a stationery tender.
The DSW case, in which former Durban Mayor Zandile Gumede is accused number one, is ongoing.
Article disclaimer: While we have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of this article, it is not intended to provide final legal advice as facts and situations will differ from case to case, and therefore specific legal advice should be sought with a lawyer.
