SA cops nab two more car smugglers en route to Zim...

SA cops nab two more car smugglers en route to Zim with stolen vehicle

Zim Now Reporter

South African police have arrested two men of undeclared nationality and recovered a US$50 000 vehicle which was hijacked earlier in the week in Pretoria.

“The two suspects were subsequently nabbed along the R71 bypass following a car chase. The suspects also tried to run on foot but they were caught. The two suspects did not possess valid driver's licences,” said South Africa Police Services Limpop spokesperson Colonel Malesela Ledwaba.

A team of police and personnel from private security companies arrested the foreign nationals on Thursday near Beitbridge Border Post and recovered the Toyota Prado valued at R1 million (US$50 000 at black market value).

“The vehicle was being escorted by another vehicle, using the N1 bypass next to Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane when police spotted them. They tried to stop the vehicles but the drivers sped off,” said Ledwaba.

He said preliminary police investigations revealed that the vehicle was hijacked on Monday in Brooklyn, east of Pretoria.

The suspects aged 26 and 27 have been charged with are possession of suspected stolen motor vehicle, contravention of the Immigration Act, driving motor vehicle without a valid driver's licence and reckless and negligent driving.

They are scheduled to appear before the Polokwane Magistrate's Court on Monday.

South African police have vowed to stamp out rife two way smuggling between the two countries and have recovered several vehicles and arrested a number of suspects over the past few months.