A 29-year-old man from KwaZulu-Natal, Mthobisi Shezi, is facing serious criminal charges after being arrested for fraudulently purchasing a Toyota Fortuner worth R455,900 using forged documents.
The incident, which took place in October 2020, began when Shezi visited a car dealership in Delmas, Mpumalanga, and applied for vehicle finance. To support his application, he submitted fake payslips and bank statements that falsely represented his income and employment status. The finance company, deceived by the seemingly legitimate documents, approved the loan and handed over the vehicle. However, once Shezi took possession of the car, he vanished without making a single payment.
After several failed attempts to recover the vehicle or locate Shezi, the dealership escalated the matter to the Hawks, South Africa’s elite Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation. The Serious Commercial Crime Investigation Unit launched a probe, analyzing the forged paperwork and confirming that the documents were indeed fraudulent.
The investigators then tracked Shezi for nearly five years, eventually locating and arresting him in Greytown, KwaZulu-Natal, on Saturday, July 20, 2025. He appeared in the Delmas Magistrate’s Court and is currently in custody pending a formal bail hearing.
Hawks spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Philani Nkwalase confirmed the suspect used false documents to mislead the finance institution into granting him credit. The Toyota Fortuner has yet to be recovered, and investigations are ongoing to determine its current whereabouts. The case has reignited concern in the vehicle finance sector about the vulnerability of credit approval systems, especially in the face of increasingly sophisticated document fraud. Authorities and industry experts are calling for stronger identity verification processes and improved fraud detection mechanisms to avoid similar incidents in the future.
The arrest of Shezi follows other high-profile fraud cases, including the 2022 conviction of Jacob Aphane, who was found guilty of using fake credentials to buy a Suzuki Ertiga worth almost R500,000, which also went unpaid.
In light of this latest incident, Hawks officials have reiterated their commitment to pursuing white collar crime. Major General Nico Gerber, head of the Hawks in Mpumalanga, praised the efforts of his team and issued a stern warning to would-be fraudsters that justice will eventually catch up with them, no matter how long it takes. Shezi is now facing charges of fraud, uttering, and theft by false pretenses, and if convicted, could face a lengthy prison term.
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