SECURITY agents on the border with South Africa have intercepted a Toyota Fortuner worth at least R300 000 smuggled into Zimbabwe across the Limpopo River.
Two people were
arrested in Beitbridge on Monday soon after entering through the Gate 2 area
near Mawale village, some 10km east of the border post. It is reported that the
owner of the vehicle is a Zimbabwean based in the United States.
The arrested
suspects are Nigel Mashanda of Beitbridge and Petros Chawasarira of Mufakose in
Harare.
Reports say the
vehicle with registration number JZX 013 NW had been bought in Johannesburg
before being smuggled into Zimbabwe.
Police officer
commanding Beitbridge district, Chief Superintendent Tichaona Nyongo, confirmed
the arrests yesterday.
“The matter is
still under investigation and the suspects will soon appear in court. I cannot
give you any further details at this stage,” he said.
A security source
close to the case said the vehicle was brought from Johannesburg by two South
Africans who handed it over to Mashanda and Chawasarira at the Limpopo River.
“Our
investigations reveal that they used Gate 2, Panda Mine, an illegal crossing
point along the Limpopo River to bring in the car which was being driven by
Mashanda of Baobab Street in Beitbridge town. During initial questioning, he
indicated that the vehicle belonged to one Tatenda Ashley Mikanzo based in the
USA,” said the security source.
The official
said they received a tip off about the imminent smuggling of the vehicle and so
were checking the illegal crossing point and the area it was supposed to be
kept before being taken to Harare.
The security
agents then pounced on the alleged smugglers as they entered their hide out.
The vehicle was
taken to the local police station pending investigations.
“We conducted
interviews and Mashanda alleged that he had travelled to South Africa with
Chawasarira to buy the vehicle for R250 000,” said the source.
“After which it
was driven by two South African men to the Limpopo River and the Zimbabwean men
crossed with it and drove to Beitbridge town.”
Further
investigations on how the vehicle was to be transported to Harare are in
progress.
The smuggling of vehicles has become rampant around the border line and the Government is losing millions of dollars in import revenue annually. Herald
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