South African man attempts to smuggle gun and ammunition into Zimbabwe

Thupeyo Muleya, Beitbridge Bureau

Security agents deployed at the Beitbridge Border Post have arrested a 30-year-old South African man for attempting to smuggle into the country a pistol and 50 rounds of live ammunition.

Tshililo Mathabi of Ngovhela Backside in Thohoyandou in Limpopo Province, was arrested on Friday and charged with illegal possession of a firearm.

He was traveling from South Africa to Zimbabwe on foot when he was busted at the Alfred Beit Bridge by alert security officials.

Mathabi has since appeared before magistrate Miss Annia Chimweta who remanded him in custody to September 2 for trial pending the production of a ballistic report.

Prosecuting, Mr Pithy Magumula said the accused arrived in the country through Beitbridge Border Post at around 11.20am.

He was then stopped at a security checkpoint and the police noticed a pistol holster on him.

They then carried out a body search and recovered a Berretta pistol with an empty magazine.

Further searches of his belongings were done leading to the discovery of 50 by 9mm live rounds.

The man was asked to produce documentation authorising him to move around with the firearm and he failed resulting in his arrest.

The firearm and the ammunition were in turn confiscated.

Cases of people smuggling firearms into the country via the Limpopo River of the Beitbridge Border Post are common and the security agencies have been descending hard on such people.

A few months ago, police arrested two Bulawayo men while smuggling into the country seven signal pistols, over 1800 units of Bron-clear, commonly used by drug addicts after entering the country via an illegal crossing point along the Limpopo River.

The duo had entered the country through an illegal crossing point at the spillway at around 4am on Sunday.

They were also carrying empty cartridges for the pistols, mbanje (dagga), and an assortment of groceries

The suspects, Bekezela Tshongwe (34) and Hloniphani Masuku (36) of Old Magwegwe and Cowdray Park in Bulawayo have since appeared in court.

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