A 24-year-old man named Douglas Chinoona from Dulibadzimu, Beitbridge, faced a terrible situation when he lost both the money he had saved for lobola and the hired car he was using.
This incident happened while he was staying at a lodge in Harare.
Douglas had hired a white Toyota GD6 from a car rental company called Good To Go Car Rental.
He parked the car at the lodge in Mabelreign and booked a room for one night.
He was on his way to Murehwa for a lobola ceremony, which is a traditional payment made to the bride’s family.
While Douglas was sleeping, a staff member from the lodge woke him up.
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They told him that two men had come by with a set of keys, claiming they had permission from the car rental owner to take the vehicle. Confused and worried, Douglas soon realized that something was very wrong.
According to Inspector Luckmore Chakanza, a spokesperson for the Harare provincial police, the car was stolen.
Inside the car, in the glove compartment, was US$2,400, which belonged to Douglas and was meant for his lobola payments.
Douglas contacted the car rental company after the incident.
The owner told him to report what happened to the police. Meanwhile, the owner used a tracking system on the car to try to stop the vehicle.
At that time, the stolen car was being driven toward Chegutu.
The total value of the stolen property, including the car and the money, amounted to US$54,700.
Sadly, nothing has been recovered so far, and police are still investigating the case. Douglas is now left feeling helpless after losing both his money and the car he needed for such an important occasion.
