Zimbabwean businessman Nesbert Mukora has filed an urgent application in the High Court in Lilongwe, Malawi, contesting a decision to return his ₭300 million (about (USD170,000) Toyota Land Cruiser 300 to Malawian businessman Yollam Kawanga, even though the vehicle remains a key exhibit in an active criminal case.
According to filings reported by Nyasa Times, the vehicle was allegedly stolen from Zimbabwe earlier this year and smuggled into Malawi through Mozambique.
Tendai Mtunguwazi, a Zimbabwean, and Kabelo Khotlele, a South African — are currently on remand at Maula Prison facing charges of theft and the fraudulent sale of the vehicle.
Investigators allege the pair used forged South African registration papers to sell the car to Kawanga, who maintains that he bought it in good faith.
Mukora’s legal team argues that the vehicle’s release compromised an ongoing criminal prosecution, insisting it should remain in Interpol Malawi’s custody until the trial concludes as it is “vital evidence” and its handover “undermines the evidentiary chain and interferes with active proceedings.”
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Documents from the South African Police Service confirm that the registration documents were fraudulent and that the vehicle had been reported stolen. SAPS also linked Jolene Margaret Janse Van Vuuren, a South African woman wanted in both South Africa and Namibia, to a cross-border network specialising in the resale of stolen luxury vehicles.
Kawanga obtained a court order for the vehicle’s release after claiming he had legitimately purchased it and that Interpol Malawi initially cleared it as not stolen. Mukora’s new application, however, notes that Interpol’s records were later updated after SAPS verification, confirming the SUV’s stolen status.
High value vehicle theft is a serious transnational crime in the southern African region. In August 2025, Zimbabwean authorities announced the recovery of 143 stolen high-end vehicles, including Land Cruisers, BMWs and Range Rovers, traced to syndicates operating from South Africa.
SAPS has made several arrests over allegations of attempted vehicle smuggling from that country to Zimbabwe. For example, in March 2024, a white Toyota Prado hijacked in Gauteng was intercepted in Limpopo on its way to Beitbridge; the driver, later identified as a repeat offender already on bail for similar crimes, was rearrested.
Regional law-enforcement agencies say such incidents point to a well-organised cross- Mukora insists his case is just part of that wider criminal web but his particular pleas if for justice and the return of his rightful property.
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