A 28-year-old Zimbabwean man has been sentenced to five years’ direct imprisonment for possession of a stolen motor vehicle in Musina in Limpopo.
According to Limpopo Police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Masekela Magoro, Cosmas Rutsito was sentenced by the Musina Magistrate’s Court on Monday 24 August after being found in possession of a Ford Ranger Wildtrak that had been reported stolen in Gauteng.
The case dates back to 5 December 2025, when police received information about a suspected stolen vehicle parked at Mushongoville in Musina.
Police responded to the information and found the Ford Ranger at the identified address. Checks confirmed that the vehicle had been reported stolen in the Elsburg policing area in Gauteng on 30 November 2025.
Rutsito was arrested at the scene.
Magoro said the investigation was initially handled by Constable Machebele before being assigned to Constable Florence Mavis Ngozo of the Musina Vehicle Crime Investigation Unit.
The State successfully opposed bail, and Rutsito remained in custody until his sentencing on Monday.
The court sentenced him to seven years’ imprisonment for possession of a stolen motor vehicle, with three years suspended for five years on condition that he is not convicted of a similar offence during the suspension period.
He was also sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment for contravening Section 49(1) of the Immigration Act 13 of 2002.
The sentences will run concurrently, leaving Rutsito to serve an effective five years in prison.
Magoro said Limpopo police commissioner Lieutenant General Jan Petrus Scheepers welcomed the sentence and commended the police members involved in recovering the stolen vehicle and conducting the investigation that resulted in the successful prosecution.
