Riot Hlatshwayo

Riot Hlatshwayo

Three men were embroiled in a drama that resulted in their arrest for hijacking and pointing firearms at each other over a vehicle that belongs to none of them.

Felix Nxumalo, Hoppy Mashego and Lucky Khoza briefly appeared in the Bushbuckridge magistrates' court in Mpumalanga yesterday and on Monday.

Mashego was released on R1000 bail on Monday and Nxumalo was released on R1500, while Khoza was remanded in custody.

Mashego and Khoza are expected to appear in court tomorrow, while Nxumalo's case was postponed to June 27.

The drama started when a woman identified as Sibongile Mkhonto, 25, asked her sister Dopsy Mkhonto to help her buy a Toyota Condor so she could use it as a taxi.

Dopsy paid a deposit for the vehicle and Sibongile allowed her then lover, Felix Nxumalo, to operate it as a taxi for their mutual benefit.

Somewhere along the way Nxumalo and Sibongile Mkhonto separated. She sold the vehicle to Mashego for R10000 on the understanding that he continued with the monthly instalments.

Last weekend Nxumalo allegedly hijacked the vehicle at gunpoint while Mashego was driving it.

Nxumalo drove to the Bushbuckridge police station, parked it outside and went in to explain that he had taken the vehicle because he had also contributed financially towards it.

While Nxumalo was still speaking to the police Mashego arrived and used a spare key to drive the car away.

"When Nxumalo left the police station the vehicle was gone," Bushbuckridge police spokesman Nyiko Maluleke yesterday said.

Nxumalo looked for the vehicle and found Mashego driving it. He allegedly took it again and this time Mashego and Khoza, who were allegedly armed, searched for him.

Mashego allegedly pointed a firearm at Nxumalo while Khoza fired shots at him.

Nxumalo got away and went to the police, who tracked Mashego and Khoza down.

Maluleke confirmed that the vehicle was financed by Wesbank and could not be sold by anyone before it was fully paid for.