LIMPOPO – The Provincial Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe recently led a joint-cross border operation, Operation Basadi, in a joint effort to deal with cross border crimes such as the smuggling of stolen motor vehicles, stock theft, illicit cigarettes, drugs and other serious crimes.

The operation saw predominantly female law enforecement officers, their Zimbabwean counterparts and members of the South African National Defence Force join hands in the fight against crime.

The operations were conducted on both sides of the Beitbridge border and Musina and other stakeholders included the Department of Home Affairs, customs, Department of Transport and Community Safety, the baragining council and Ledet.

Police spokesperson, Brigadier Motlafela Mojapelo said the following results were recorded:

Arrests: 

• 75 undocumented foreign nationals
• Five suspects for rape and two for attempted rape
• 73 for Gender Based Violence related cases
• Five for illegal gambling
• ‘Scores’ for dagga and liquor related offences

Other successes: 

• Illicit goods worth R382 300 were confiscated
• 28 traffic summonses were issued

Mojapelo added that some of the targeted areas have, in the recent past, been used by smugglers who took advantage of certain sections of the Limpopo River with low water levels to smuggle goods such as stolen motor vehicles across the border.

“Several stolen motor vehicles have been intercepted by members of the SANDF on the verge of being smuggled across the Limpopo River into Zimbabwe. One of the vehicles, a Ford Ranger, is still stuck in the river and will be retrieved once water levels subside,” he said.