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Thupeyo Muleya Beitbridge Bureau

A ZIMBABWEAN man with previous convictions has been jailed for an effective five years in South Africa for smuggling more than 1 100 cartons of cigarettes worth over R300 000 into that country.

Oliver Mupanga (45) was sent to prison when he appeared at the Senwabarwana Regional Court yesterday.

He was convicted and sentenced to direct imprisonment for possession of illicit cigarettes and entering South Africa without a valid passport.

Limpopo’s spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) Ms Mashudu Malabi-Dzhangi confirmed the development.

She said the court sentenced Mupanga to effective imprisonment without the option of a fine and added another three months’ jail for entering South Africa without a passport.

The sentences will run concurrently and the vehicle — a Toyota Corolla registration number CMT 730 L — was forfeited to the State. The man was also declared unfit to possess a firearm.

“The accused was found in possession of over 1 000 cartons of Remington Gold cigarettes, valued over R 300 000. On the 15 of August 2022, around 1am on R523 towards Louis Trichardt, the police from Polokwane Highway Patrol Unit spotted a suspicious Toyota Corolla driving at high speed. They tried to stop it while flashing blue lights, but it never stopped,” Ms Malabi-Dzhangi said.

During the high-speed chase by police, Mupanga hit something on the road and had to stop.

Two people leapt out and started running, but Mupanga was caught since he has only one leg.

“When the police searched the motor vehicle, they found 1 104 cartons of Remington Gold cigarettes inside the car. According to an affidavit from the Department of Home Affairs, the accused is illegally in the country,” said Ms Malabi-Dzhangi.

She said in mitigation of the sentence, the defence lawyer submitted that the accused’s plea of guilty was a sign of remorse, and he had not wasted the court’s time. In addition, he is crippled, he has one leg and suffering in custody due to his condition and that he could only afford a fine of R20 000.

“In aggravation of sentence, the State Advocate Phumudzo Mudau submitted that the accused has been convicted of two offences which are very serious and prevalent within the court’s area of jurisdiction,” Ms Malabi-Dzhangi said.

“It is very difficult to apprehend offenders who commit offences of this nature. The State added that count one was a case involving a syndicate, an offence which affects the economy negatively”.

The motor vehicle and cigarettes were declared forfeited to the State in terms of the Customs and Excise Act.

“The National Prosecuting Authority welcomes the sentence and hopes that other would-be offenders will learn from the sentence,” Ms Malabi-Dzhangi added.

The smuggling of cigarettes from Zimbabwe into South Africa through illegal crossing points along the Limpopo River is rife.

It is understood that 30 percent of cigarettes in South Africa are smuggled from Zimbabwe.