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Thupeyo Muleya
Beitbridge Bureau
A 22-year-old man believed to be part of a racket stealing cars from South Africa before smuggling them to various countries through Zimbabwe was on Saturday arrested by the police in Limpopo province after he was spotted driving recklessly in the Tzaneen area.He was found driving a red Ford Ranger Raptor that was reportedly stolen on February 20 in Germiston,Gauteng province.The arrest is part of the ongoing operation by the South African Police Service (SAPS) to dismantle cross border crimes.

Limpopo police spokesperson Colonel Malasela Ledwaba said the suspect will soon appear before the Tzaneen Magistrate court facing charges of driving a suspected stolen motor vehicle and negligent driving.

He said the police were out in full force to put an end to the recent surge in cases where cars were being stolen and smuggled across borders.

“Police received information about a red Ford Ranger Raptor that was reportedly stolen on Tuesday 20 February 2024 at Germiston in Gauteng province,” said Col Ledwaba.

“Members of the Provincial Tracking Team together with the Private Security Company were activated and immediately commenced with the location of the motor vehicle.On Saturday at about 7am, the motor vehicle fitting the description was positively spotted driving along the R81 public road outside Polokwane while passing Mall of the North.”

He said police attempted to stop the vehicle but the driver sped off and a car chase ensued until the man was intercepted at Ga-Sekgopo village under Modjadjaskloof policing area.

Upon catching up with the driver, Col Ledwaba, said police asked the suspect the origin of the car and he failed to provide a satisfactory response.
He was subsequently arrested for driving a suspected stolen vehicle and reckless driving.

“Preliminary investigations revealed that the Ford Ranger Raptor valued at R1,5 million was enroute to Beitbridge Port of Entry and was intended to be smuggled to Zimbabwe,” said the senior police officer.

It is suspected that stolen cars are driven by South Africans to the Limpopo River and later handed over to Zimbabweans drivers who take over to the next border through Mozambique, where Malawians and Mozambican drivers take over.

The smuggling of vehicles has become rampant around the border line and Government is losing millions of dollars in import revenue annually.