LIMPOPO – A suspected vehicle smuggling attempt was thwarted on Thursday (May 15), when members of the Provincial Anti-Smuggling Team intercepted a white SUV near the Limpopo River, believed to be en route to Zimbabwe via an unauthorised crossing.

Acting on intelligence about a vehicle matching the description travelling through Malale’s Drift towards the river, police launched an operation to track it down. In the early hours, officers spotted the SUV in a remote area, navigating through the bush in an apparent attempt to reach the river crossing.

Police spokesperson Colonel Malesela Ledwaba says that when approached, the driver accelerated in an effort to evade law enforcement but lost control as the vehicle became stuck in soft sand. Two men abandoned the vehicle and fled on foot across the border into Zimbabwe, avoiding arrest.

“Initial checks confirmed that the SUV is registered to a private company in South Africa, although it had not yet been listed as stolen at the time of the interception. The vehicle was secured and removed from the scene for further investigation,” says Ledwaba.

Provincial police commissioner Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe has applauded the swift reaction by the police and the fight against the smuggling of stolen motor vehicles across the province.

Investigations are ongoing.