FOUR Zimbabweans who wrapped a stolen car with snack packaging foil in a foiled attempt to smuggle it to Zimbabwe have appeared at a Polokwane court in Limpopo province, South Africa.
BY REX MPHISA
Jasper Ndlovu (28), Douglas Machingura (32) Njula Brilliant Mathonsi (34) and Pilisani Ndlovu (41), whose addresses were not given, but believed to be cross-border transporters, commonly known as omalayitsha, were charged with possession of a stolen vehicle.
In an update of the case discovered in a pre-dawn police hit, now casting omalayitsha to be more than just goods transporters, the Limpopo provincial police media centre said the four were denied bail.
“They will appear again on 23 August 2018 in the same court, while police investigations continue,” the media centre statement, issued by Constable Maphure Manamela, said.
Jasper, Machingura, Mathonsi, Pilisani were arrested during a snap operation comprising members of Crime Intelligence, police from Westenburg and officials from the Department of Roads and Transport, while transporting the stolen motor vehicle at about 3:30am last Wednesday. “A consignment of snacks and other goods carried on a trailer, turned out to be a stolen vehicle that was being transported along the N1 road,” the statement read.
As police searched the vehicle and its trailer, unpacking the snacks and removing the foil, a grey Ford Ranger stolen from Gauteng province emerged from the snacks.
Meanwhile, three other Zimbabweans —Floyd Murino Floyd (26), Tonderai Munthisi (33) and Tichavavamwe Shupai (37) — arrested for allegedly being found in possession of explosives worth R300 000, have further been denied bail by a Mussina court.
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“They were all denied bail and their case is postponed to the 20th of August 2018 for further police investigations,” Limpopo province police spokesperson Colonel Moatshe Ngoepe said.
The three were arrested during a joint stop-and-search operation on August 4, 2018 on the South African side of the Beitbridge Border Post and their truck found stuffed with 750 blasting cartridges and three rolls of explosive cables.
