Austin Nyathi

Sunday News Correspondent

A BULAWAYO man was last Thursday fined US$400 or two months in jail for smuggling several boxes of eggs worth R6 900 into the country through Beitbridge Border Post.

He, however, ran out of luck when the vehicle he was travelling in was intercepted by police at a roadblock along the Beitbridge-Bulawayo Road.

Pikirai Dondo (31) of House Number A5705 Old Pumula was convicted on his own plea of guilty to contravening a section of the Customs and Excise Act (smuggling) when he appeared before the Beitbridge Magistrate, Mr Innocent Bepura.

The court heard that on 15 June this year, Dondo arrived at Beitbridge Border Post from South Africa carrying a consignment of eggs. He did not make efforts to declare the goods with the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra) as part of the customs formalities.

He was intercepted the following day by police officers manning a roadblock at Makhado, about 100km from Beitbridge town.  Upon discovering the contraband, police asked Dondo to produce the declaration forms as proof that he paid Customs duty and he failed to do so, leading to his arrest.

The smuggled goods were subsequently seized by Zimra.

Meanwhile, in an unrelated case, two unemployed men were each fined US$400 or 120 days in jail for assisting border jumpers to illegally cross into South Africa through Beitbridge Border Post. Leonard Mpala (35) of Tsholotsho and Sibangilizwe Ndlovu of Nyamandlovu were convicted on their own pleas of guilty to contravening a section of the Immigration Act (assisting border jumpers) by Mr Bepura.

The court was told that on 19 April at Beitbridge Border Post, the two who were travelling in a South African registered Toyota Condo connived before they went on to assist Mgcini Nyathi, Sibongile Nyathi and Nomathemba Ncube to illegally  cross into South Africa.  The trio had no passports.

They were, however, intercepted by police detectives at the exit gate while attempting to cross into South Africa leading to their arrest.