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Thupeyo Muleya Beitbridge Bureau
Four Beitbridge foreign currency dealers have been arrested as police clamp down on criminals in and around the border town. The quartet — Amon Pingurayi (34), Morgan Kuenda (37), Wisdom Ngome (34) and Tsungirirayi Ponciano Ziteya (32) — were arrested during the weekend during an ongoing joint operation involving the ZRP and their South African counterparts. The operation code named “No to Crime” is aimed at weeding out criminals within Beitbridge and the border with South Africa.

More than 40 people have been arrested for various offences, including smuggling, touting, theft, robberies, operating shebeens and drug peddling. The foreign currency dealers have since been charged with contravening a section of the Exchange Control Act (amendment) regulations, 2017 (No 5).

The four, who were separately charged, were not asked to plead when they appeared before Magistrate Mr Godswill Mavenge on Monday. They were all remanded on $60 bail and will be back at the courts on Tuesday next week. Appearing for the State, prosecutor Mr Oswell Arufandi said on September 30 this year, at around 2.30pm, police detectives received information that there were illegal foreign currency deals going on at a local service station.

He said at around 3pm, the detectives proceeded to the service station and food court carrying out some surveillance and found the suspects holding bunches of money inviting people to carry out currency exchange transactions. The police detectives approached the accused and requested them to produce legal documents authorising them to deal in currency exchange.

The suspects failed to produce the documents, resulting in their arrest and the money being seized by the police. Mr Arufandi said police recovered a total of R1623, 50 and $475.75 bond notes from Pingurayi, while Kuenda was found in possession R1 100, US$140 and $200 in bond notes.