Motor group responds after R1 million Amarok is stolen
Darrel Shanmugam took his new Amarok to Barons VW, Edwin Swales in Durban for repairs, only to have it stolen on the day he was supposed to collect it. The Amarok, worth over R1 million, was taken from the dealership after Shanmugam had left it there to fix some dash lights.
Pieter Smit, legal advisor for NMI Motor Group, confirmed that the company was aware of the theft and said they were taking the matter seriously. Barons VW, which is part of NMI Motor Group, is located in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal.
The vehicle was stolen on October 28, 2024, after Shanmugam had left it at the dealership for repairs.
He had bought the Amarok Aventura 3.0 TDI in August 2024, and it had been at the dealership for more than a month before the theft. On the same day Shanmugam was called to collect his car, it was taken.
Shanmugam expressed frustration after the dealership refused to provide him with a courtesy car and said they would not take responsibility for the theft, directing him to his “insurer” instead.
Pieter Smit responded to IOL’s article, explaining that neither he nor NMI’s Claims Manager, Charl Greef, had ignored the emails from the publication. He also denied that Shanmugam’s lawyer was ignored when trying to obtain footage of two people leaving the dealership with the vehicle.
“We record that our attorneys have engaged in correspondence with the customer’s attorneys and none of the aforesaid correspondence has been ignored,” Smit said. “This is certainly a regrettable incident which we do take very seriously, the circumstances pertaining to which are currently under investigation.”
Smit added that NMI was working closely with the South African Police Service, their insurers, and third-party service providers to investigate the matter and resolve it. “We cannot comment any further at this stage whilst the investigation is under way,” he said.
Shanmugam hired a lawyer to help him obtain footage showing the theft of the vehicle. However, his lawyer has been unsuccessful in getting access to the footage and claims they have been ignored multiple times by the dealership.
In emails exchanged between Shanmugam’s lawyer and the dealership’s attorneys, the dealership asked Shanmugam to provide several documents, including proof of ownership, details about why the vehicle wasn’t insured, why it didn’t have a tracking device, and why the registration plates were missing. They also asked for confirmation of where the vehicle was purchased and the price paid for it.
“Upon receipt of the documents….we shall take instructions from our client and revert more fully,” said the dealership’s legal team in their email.
In response, Shanmugam’s lawyer stated that these document requests would not absolve the dealership from responsibility for the stolen vehicle.
The lawyer pointed out that the car had been at the dealership for over a month, yet no such questions had been raised before.
“Our client’s vehicle had been at your client’s premises for a period of over a month yet at no stage were such further particulars requested. In any event, we advise you to peruse the job card handed to our client by your client’s service advisor to seek the necessary information,” the lawyer’s email said.
Earlier, Shanmugam explained that his Amarok was uninsured and didn’t have a tracking device because he was still waiting for some minor repairs.
He had already arranged with Matrix Vehicle Tracking to install a tracker and help with insurance quotes once the repairs were finished.
“I hadn’t insured it or installed a tracker because I was waiting for the dashboard lights to be fixed. I had already arranged with Matrix Vehicle Tracking to install a tracker and assist me with insurance quotes once repairs were complete,” he said.
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