Cop helped to hijack goods truck

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Published Jan 29, 2013

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SHERLISSA PETERS

A KwaZulu-Natal constable has been found guilty of helping to hijack a truck carrying Unilever products.

Sizwe Ndlovu, who has since resigned from his job at the Alexandra police station, was convicted at the Pietermaritzburg Regional Court yesterday of robbery.

He had been found guilty of supplying his police van to accomplices so they could use it to flag down the unsuspecting truck driver and hijack the truck.

Ndlovu pleaded not guilty, testifying that he had no knowledge of the hijacking, and had parked his official police vehicle at his uncle’s house on the night of the robbery.

He said he left, spent the night with his girlfriend, and only returned to fetch his vehicle at 6am the next morning.

Ndlovu claimed his uncle, Nkosenhle Ndlovu, stole the vehicle and committed the crime without his knowledge.

However, the magistrate found the evidence against Ndlovu was overwhelming.

Nkosenhle, who pleaded guilty to his role in the crime, testified against his nephew, detailing how Ndlovu had been involved in every aspect of the planning and the execution of the robbery.

The truck was hijacked by the men in Ashburton on the evening of August 30, 2010. The suspects were in the police vehicle with flashing blue lights.

The unsuspecting truck driver, Simlindile Lawana, was flagged down and assaulted with the butt of a firearm.

Lawana reported the hijacking to the police, who traced the truck to Ndlovu’s uncle’s house in the Mpophomeni area of Pietermaritzburg.

The Unilever goods were recovered and Ndlovu’s uncle handed himself over to police.

Nkosenhle pleaded guilty and was jailed for nine years.

Ndlovu’s case has been adjourned to March 5 for correctional supervision reports before argument on sentence can begin.

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