Car stolen in Cape Town was found near Peddie

A Toyota Corolla which was stolen in Durbanville, Cape Town on Friday was found near Peddie in the Eastern Cape after the 29-year-old driver tried to speed away from a road block on Sunday.

Police spokesman Captain Mali Govender said the Grahamstown highway patrol were holding a vehicle check point on the N2 near the Fish River when they spotted a Toyota Corolla travelling from Grahamstown towards Peddie.

“The vehicle made a U-turn and sped towards Grahamstown. The highway patrol gave chase and managed to pull the vehicle from the road. The licence plates were false and it had no disc," she said.

"The driver provided conflicting versions on his acquisition of the car."

Govender said that Constable Mervin Frans searched the man and found a gate remote in his wallet and the original licence disc under his seat.

"He [Frans] then used the chassis number to test for ownership and it was discovered that the vehicle was stolen in Durbanvile in the Western Cape on Friday morning, Govender said.

The passenger, a hitchhiker who was picked up in Port Elizabeth, was not arrested.

The driver, who resides in Qumbu in the Eastern Cape, faces a charge of possession of suspected stolen motor vehicle and will appear in the Grahamstown Magistrates Court on Tuesday.