Five members of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), including a female soldier, together with two undocumented Zimbabwean nationals, are expected to appear before the Musina Magistrate’s Court on Thursday.
They face charges of corruption, possession of illicit cigarettes, unlawful discharge of a firearm, and defeating the ends of justice.
The suspects, aged between 26 and 42, were arrested on Tuesday during a joint operation by the SAPS Limpopo Beitbridge Task Team and Military Intelligence.
Illicit cigarettes stolen from smugglers
Their arrests followed an incident earlier that morning at Artonvilla, along the first Malaladrift road near the Limpopo River, where they allegedly conspired to intercept and steal a consignment of illicit cigarettes being smuggled into South Africa.
Police spokesperson Colonel Malesela Ledwaba said that during the operation, shots were reportedly fired. This forced the smugglers to abandon 24 boxes of illicit cigarettes.
Ledwaba said the six boxes were later found hidden inside a temporary military camp.
In another incident, police in Thohoyandou in the Vhembe District launched an arson investigation after a church building in Muledane was destroyed by fire in the early hours of Wednesday, September 10 2025.
Police say the incident occurred at around 6.30am. The pastor of the church was alerted that the building was in flames. By the time he arrived, the rooftop had already collapsed.
Initially, a case was registered at Thohoyandou SAPS. However, following a crime scene revisit on Monday, police changed the docket to a case of arson.
The estimated damage to the property is valued at approximately R650,000. The exact cause of the blaze will be confirmed through a detailed police report.
Police are appealing to members of the public to come forward with any information that could assist in the investigation.
