Six municipal employees have appeared in court over their alleged part in an R83-million car theft ring, Gauteng police said.

Superintendent Lungelo Dlamini said another two non-municipal employees were in custody, but had yet to make a court appearance.

He said Octavia Gila and Mandla Mabundla, both aged 50, Tebogo Mahlangu (42), Trevor Phuzane (30), Pogiso Mathibe (29), James Bosi (43), appeared in the Johannesburg Magistrate's Court on Wednesday. The case against them was postponed until 21 May.

Gila and Mabundla were supervisors at the Langlaagte vehicle licensing department, Phuzane and Mathibe were cashiers there and Bosi was a police typist stationed at Langlaagte, said Dlamini.

A seventh person would appear in the Johannesburg Magistrate's Court on Thursday, when an eighth person arrested would appear in the Krugersdorp Magistrate's Court.

One of these people had been found in possession of a stolen Mercedes-Benz, a firearm and ammunition, Dlamini said.

He said the arrests were the result of an investigation which began over a year ago when police cracked a car theft syndicate.

At the time, 55 people were arrested and 721 vehicles, worth an estimated R83m, were seized.

"During the arrest hundreds of document used in the illegal registration of stolen or robbed vehicles were seized," he said.

These included stolen identity documents, false manufacturers' data tags and labels.

The eight people arrested since then were accused of helping to create a fake paper trail to legitimise the stolen vehicles.