Police in Limpopo made a major breakthrough when they seized two vehicles worth about R1.4-million that were going to be smuggled into Zimbabwe through the Beitbridge port of entry.
The SAPS Anti-Smuggling Team, Tshimollo Security and Investigation, and Reflex Anti-Hijacking Security executed a concerted anti-smuggling operation in which they stopped a Toyota Hilux GD6 double cab on the R101 close to the Polokwane weighbridge.
One male suspect escaped into surrounding bushes during the stop, and two female suspects tried to flee but were caught after a foot pursuit.
Vehicle stolen in Pretoria
The female suspects, who are 19 and 20 years old, were taken into custody and are accused of having a suspected stolen car.
The car was stolen on May 16 in Pretoria, according to preliminary investigations.
In a separate but connected intelligence-driven operation, police stopped a Toyota Corolla Cross travelling on the R101 in Mokopane’s central business district.
The vehicle was also headed to the Beitbridge port of entry.
According to investigations, this car was reported stolen on May 16 at the Wierdabrug police area. The driver, a 34-year-old undocumented foreign national, was arrested.
The suspects who were arrested with the Toyota Hilux are scheduled to appear before the Polokwane magistrate’s court on Tuesday, while the suspect arrested with the Toyota Corolla Cross is due at the Mokopane magistrate’s court.
Operation Vala Umgodi
In the meantime, several items were recovered, and suspects involved in illicit mining activities were arrested as a result of the ongoing Vala Umgodi operations carried out on May 18 in the Waterberg and Vhembe districts in Limpopo.
Police officers arrested a 35-year-old male suspect at a mining site identified in Letoka village. They also confiscated shovels, a front loader, and a Ford truck during the arrest.
In the Vhembe district, the officers conducted an operation at the Nesengani Tshifhefhe and Nesengani Ndiitwani villages in the Vuwani policing area, resulting in the recovery of a variety of abandoned items, such as wheelbarrows, spades, brick moulds, pickaxes, hand hoes, pangas, and petrol water pumps.
“Illegal mining activities have a negative impact on the safety and health of surrounding communities,” said Lieutenant-General Thembi Hadebe.
“Moreover, it harms the overall wellbeing of the environment. This illegal practice must be discouraged at all costs.”
