An increasing number of vehicles stolen in overseas countries like Japan are being sold secondhand in South Africa and the various government agencies have combined to tackle this task.
An increasing number of vehicles stolen in overseas countries like Japan are being sold secondhand in South Africa and the various government agencies have combined to tackle this task.
As reported on CARtoday.com last month, countless secondhand vehicles are being imported from Japan, smuggled through Durban harbour and then sold to South Africans.
It is believed that many are being brought through the harbour legally as vehicles destined for neighbouring countries and are then given false chassis and engine numbers and offered for sale through secondhand dealers in South Africa. Many unsuspecting drivers, when pulled over by traffic officials, have their cars confiscated with no remuneration.
Most of the vehicles come into the country in terms of agreements that allow them to be transported to landlocked neighbours like Botswana, Zimbabwe, Swaziland and Lesotho.
The South African Revenue Service, Police Services, the Bureau of Standards and the International Trade Administration Commission are trying to identify illegal vehicles; those already on our roads and those still being imported.
These efforts culminate in a public crushing of the illegal vehicles seized by the state, as demonstrated at the recent Durban Motor Show, in an effort to raise public awareness about the seriousness with which the government regards smuggled vehicles.