The Sunday News
Bruce Ndlovu, Sunday News Reporter
POLICE on Wednesday last week arrested 13 border jumpers, including a smuggler attempting to supply black market dealers with 125 litres of fuel at an illegal entry points along the Zimbabwe-South Africa border.
There has been a noted increase in the number of illegal crossing points along the Zimbabwe-South Africa border since the closure of the border for non-essential travel, with smugglers and border utilising the routes along the Limpopo River.
National police spokesman Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi confirmed the incident adding that the 13 were arrested at an illegal entry point along the Limpopo River by a crack security team.
“On Wednesday, 13 people were arrested for trying to gain entry into the country through an undesignated entry point. They were intercepted by a team made up of officers from the Zimbabwe National Army and Zimbabwe Republic Police. When the security detail caught up with them, they tried to run away but they were all eventually rounded up,” he said.
Asst Comm Nyathi said police pinpointed one person who is leading the smuggling operation, although they could not yet ascertain if anyone else was part and parcel of the racket. The 13 were charged for violating Covid-19 lock-down regulations while the owner of the fuel was additionally charged for C/S 157 (1) of the Environmental Management Act, Chapter 20:22 which targets those importing hazardous substances without a license.
“We managed to identify the mastermind of the whole operation, one Livingston Ngwenya (20). At this moment, it is difficult to say whether anyone else was involved in the smuggling operation or not because these were all people using an undesignated entry point. Investigations are still ongoing on that aspect,” he said.
Asst Comm Nyathi said they had managed to ascertain that the fuel was destined for the black market in Beitbridge.
The country’s security forces have recently scaled up operations along the Beitbridge Border Post, as they look to crack down on those using illegal entry points to enter the country, avoiding Covid-19 regulations.
Smugglers have also used the same routes to sneak in contraband into the country.
