Police are intensifying operations to crack down on vehicle smugglings after yet another vehicle worth over a million rand was intercepted while its alleged hijackers attempted to cross the Zimbabwean border last week.

The Toyota Prada had been hijacked in Brooklyn, Pretoria east, on February 19, according to police.

Police arrested two suspects, aged 26 and 27, who face charges of possession of the suspected stolen motor vehicle, contravention of the Immigration Act 13 of 2002, driving a motor vehicle without a valid driver’s licence and reckless and negligent driving.

They will appear in the Polokwane Magistrate’s Court today.

The arrests

Limpopo police spokesperson Colonel Malesela Ledwaba said the two foreign national suspects were arrested during an operation, and that police seized the stolen motor vehicle worth over a million rand.

Ledwaba said the bust on Thursday was made through intensified efforts, consisting of members of the provincial tracking team and private security companies.

The SUV was intended to be smuggled into Zimbabwe through the Beitbridge Border Post.

“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. The two suspects were subsequently nabbed along the R71 bypass following a [high]-speed car chase.”

He said the suspects also tried to flee on foot but were later caught.

Ledwaba added the two suspects did not possess valid driver’s licences.

“Preliminary investigations revealed that the vehicle was hijacked on Monday in Brooklyn, Pretoria.”

Provincial police commissioner Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe said police were committed to rooting out the illegal smuggling of goods into and out of South Africa.

“Our dedicated units and relevant stakeholders will continue to work tirelessly to ensure that perpetrators are brought to justice,” said Hadebe.

Similar incident

The recent arrest comes on the heels of police recovering another vehicle which had been reported stolen in Garsfontein and which was retrieved on February 12 while being smuggled.

A 29-year-old man was arrested for possession of a suspected stolen motor vehicle. He too tried to flee law enforcement.

Ledwaba said Limpopo police with the assistance of a security company gave chase and ultimately nabbed the suspect at the Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane.

“Following information and diligent investigative work, members of the provincial murder and robbery, tracking team working jointly with the private security company intercepted the vehicle on Monday around 10:00. The vehicle reported stolen from Garsfontein over the weekend, was allegedly set to be smuggled out of South Africa.”

A common occurrence

Last year Rekord reported that stolen cars in South Africa were being retrieved before they could cross the border.

In October, a 34-year-old suspect was nabbed on charges of driving a suspected stolen vehicle heading for the Zimbabwe border.

Loaded Maguta, a Zimbabwe national, appeared in the Polokwane Magistrate’s Court following his arrest in Polokwane after a high-speed chase in a vehicle also reportedly stolen in Garsfontein in the east of Pretoria.

Maguta’s arrest was a result of a tip-off, leading to police and stakeholders actioning an operation to recover the Toyota Fortuner 2.8 stolen on October 21.

According to police, the suspect was linked to a vehicle-smuggling syndicate operating between Gauteng and Limpopo at Beitbridge.

He was also linked to the smuggling of a Toyota Hilux Legend 50 to Zimbabwe earlier that month.

In June, police intercepted and arrested a 52-year-old suspect before he could cross the border in a stolen vehicle.

Ledwaba said according to intelligence, the Hilux was reportedly hijacked in Pretoria and would have been smuggled out of the country into Zimbabwe via the same border post.

“The operational team followed information along the R101 outside Mokopane and the vehicle fitting the description was spotted. Attempts to stop it failed as the driver sped off and a high-speed chase ensued until the Toyota Hilux was intercepted along Nelson Mandela Drive in Mokopane.”

Ledwaba said preliminary investigations revealed the vehicle was heading to Bulawayo in Zimbabwe.

“It was further established that its registration and chassis numbers had been cloned from another Toyota in Johannesburg.”