Limpopo’s ongoing anti-smuggling crackdown has delivered yet another decisive blow to cross-border crime after a multidisciplinary team intercepted a stolen Toyota Corolla Cross GR worth R600 000 on Sunday, November 30.
Provincial police spokesperson Colonel Malesela Ledwaba said the SAPS Limpopo Tracking Team, working alongside Shadowsecure Security, Tshimollo Security and Investigation, external law-enforcement partners, and Tracker SA, sprang into action following intelligence that a stolen vehicle was travelling from Gauteng to the Beitbridge border via the N1 freeway.
“The ever-alert operational team maintained close observation until the vehicle matching the description was spotted on the N1 North in Polokwane next to Mall of the North,” he said.
Ledwaba said the team swiftly intercepted the vehicle and preliminary investigations confirmed it had been stolen in Pretoria Central, leading to the immediate arrest of two suspects, a 38-year-old Zimbabwean national and a 43-year-old Malawian national.
Officers have since opened a case of possession of a suspected stolen motor vehicle in Polokwane, and the suspects are expected to appear in the Polokwane Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, December 1.
Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe praised the coordinated operation, noting that the swift interception once again proves the strength of joint efforts between police and private security in disrupting vehicle-smuggling syndicates operating along Limpopo’s border routes.
“This level of collaboration and vigilance is crucial in stopping the illegal movement of vehicles across our provincial and national borders,” Hadebe said.
The Star