Two suspected stolen vehicles have been recovered by police in Limpopo with four suspects, foreign nationals aged between 29 and 44, arrested.
The four were charged for crimes including possession of presumed stolen motor vehicle and possession of fraudulent documents during an anti-smuggling operation conducted on Sunday and into the early hours of Monday around Polokwane.
Provincial police spokesperson in Limpopo, Brigadier Hlulani Mashaba said members of Limpopo SAPS anti-smuggling task team received a tip off regarding vehicles which were destined to be smuggled out of South Africa to Malawi and Zimbabwe, through the busy Beitbridge port of entry.
“On Sunday, at around 9:30pm, the team arrested a Malawian male national who was spotted driving in a grey Toyota Fortuner 2.8 along the R101 to Polokwane. The (police) team tried to stop the vehicle but it sped off. They followed it at a high-speed, and subsequently, the vehicle was stopped next to Polokwane Shell Ultra City in the Westenburg policing area,” said Mashaba.
Preliminary police investigations revealed that the Toyota Fortuner was reported stolen at Durban Central, in KwaZulu-Natal province on Saturday.
“The suspect aged 44 was arrested for possession of presumed stolen motor vehicle, contravention of the Immigration Act, and operating motor vehicle without a valid driver's licence,” said Mashaba.
The grey Toyota Fortuner 2.8 is valued around R800,000.
In another incident, the law enforcement team also received information in the early hours of Monday, regarding a Mercedes Benz truck which was hijacked at Nigel, in Gauteng.
The Mercedes Benz truck was hijacked April 14.
“They (police) accurately followed the information, and the described truck was spotted being escorted by a VW Polo driving along the N1 North in Polokwane policing area at around 2am. The operational members tried to stop the white truck with a blue tri-axle trailer, but the driver failed to stop. Instead, he increased speed,” said Mashaba.
Police chased the Mercedes Benz truck as the driver headed into a nearby farm, damaging the fence.
The driver of the Mercedes Benz truck jumped out of the truck trying to evade arrest, but in the process, he got “seriously” injured on his left leg.
Other police officers managed to intercept the white Volkswagen Polo which was escorted the truck. The VW Polo had two occupants.
“They were found in possession of fraudulent documents of the (Mercedes Benz) truck. The three suspects, aged between 29 and 43, were arrested for possession of presumed stolen motor vehicle and possession of fraudulent documents,” said Mashaba.
The injured driver of the Mercedes Benz truck was taken to a local hospital, where he is under police guard.
Police said the Mercedes Benz truck is valued at R2 million.
Meanwhile, provincial commissioner of police in Limpopo, Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe has expressed her appreciation to the law enforcement team members who participated in the extensive operation.
The arrested suspects will on Tuesday appear before the Polokwane Magistrate's Court.
The injured man who was driving the Mercedes Benz truck will appear before court in absentia.
On Monday, IOL reported that the dedicated anti-smuggling task team has scored several victories since its inception in December 2023.
“A total of 23 suspects were arrested and 20 high-powered 4x4 vehicles worth approximately R17 million were seized. The vehicles were all robbed in Gauteng province and were intercepted at various parts of the province en-route to be smuggled through the Beitbridge (port of entry) and other port of entry,” said Brigadier Hlulani Mashaba.
IOL