Limpopo provincial police commissioner Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe hailed law enforcers for arresting two men who wanted to smuggle stolen goods out of South Africa.

“Arrests such as these send a strong message to other criminals,” she said after the arrest of a 52-year-old South African man and his 25-year-old Lesotho national accomplice.

According to a statement by police spokesperson Brigadier Motlafela Mojapelo, the duo were nabbed at Nyl Plaza on Thursday.

He explained the Crime Intelligence Unit informed the Limpopo Tracking Team and the Mahwelereng Flying Squad of two stolen vehicles in the area.

“The vehicles, worth an estimated R1.2m, were hijacked in Tembisa and Hartbeespoort in Gauteng. A Toyota Hilux Legend 50 and Toyota Hilux 2.8 GD6 were recovered at the toll plaza and the men were arrested,” Mojapelo added.

He said the vehicles were to be smuggled to Zambia through the Beitbridge Port of Entry, and that one of the vehicles was fitted with a Lesotho licence plate.

“Further investigations revealed the South African national is known to be a runner [a person who smuggles stolen goods into neighbouring countries]. He has since been linked to more than eight cases of possession of suspected stolen motor vehicles, the latest committed in June at Akasia in Pretoria,” Mojapelo added.

The duo is expected to appear before the Mokopane Magistrate’s Court today, where they will face charges of possession of suspected stolen motor vehicles.