By Joshua 
Internationally renowned motivational speaker Vusi Thembekwayo is taking legal action to reclaim his luxury BMW X6M Sport from a Johannesburg pawn shop. The vehicle, valued at R2.8 million, was allegedly sold to the pawn shop for R40,000 by a mechanic after Thembekwayo’s ex-wife, Palesa Mahlolo, failed to cover repair costs.
Thembekwayo has filed documents in the Pretoria High Court seeking an injunction to either retrieve the car himself or have the sheriff assist in taking it from the shop, Pawn Car4Cash, located in Booysens. He also requests that the pawn shop cover his legal costs.
In a statement to Sunday World, Thembekwayo confirmed the dispute with the pawn shop, explaining that he had purchased the car for his ex-wife to use for herself and their children following their separation. Upon returning to South Africa two years ago, he discovered she no longer had the vehicle.
After hiring a private investigator, Thembekwayo learned that Mahlolo had been involved in a minor accident that caused damage to the car. She had taken it to a mechanic, who billed her R40,000 for repairs. When she didn’t pay, the mechanic sold the debt to the pawn shop.
Thembekwayo expressed skepticism about the R40,000 bill, stating that such figures usually aren’t rounded off. Throughout various communications, the pawn shop claimed the costs had escalated to R250,000, then R350,000 due to added storage fees, insisting he pay this hefty amount to reclaim his vehicle.
After consulting with his lawyers, he transferred funds to their trust account to help facilitate the retrieval of the car, but ultimately they decided to escalate the matter to court.
Thembekwayo noted that he had heard complaints from others about the pawn shop’s practices. Attempts by Sunday World to contact the pawn shop were unsuccessful, as security personnel denied access.