By Ziyah News Crime and Court Reporter
Police in Limpopo, the transit province to the busiest land border in Southern Africa , the Beitbridge border post, have been kept busy as the province remain the passage to cross border crimes between Zimbabwe and South Africa and by extension the rest of the SADC region.
In the latest case, police on patrol on the N1 highway yesterday intercepted a Mercedes Benz vehicle allegedly hijacked in Pretoria and en-route to Zimbabwe after a tip off arresting a 38 year old man who is set to appear in court.
In a statement, the South African Police Service Limpopo province said the successful interception of the vehicle and subsequent apprehension of the suspect was as a result of joint police efforts.
“In a successful joint operation, the Limpopo Provincial Flying Squad and the Waterberg Flying Squad arrested a 38-year-old male suspect for the possession of a suspected stolen motor vehicle on Sunday, 14 July 2024, at about 13:00,” indicated the police statement.
“The vigilant police officers were conducting routine patrols along the N1 South public road when they received a tip-off regarding a silver Mercedes Benz that had allegedly been hijacked in Pretoria West. The vehicle was believed to be en route to Zimbabwe for smuggling purposes.”
Further details from the statement indicate the police acted swiftly on the information received in the tip off, located and intercepted the vehicle at the Sasol Zebediela filling station.
“The 38-year-old driver failed to produce the ownership documents for the motor vehicle, leading to his immediate arrest on the scene for the possession of a suspected stolen vehicle. The suspect is set to appear before the Mokopane Magistrate’s Court shortly to face a charge of possession of a suspected stolen motor vehicle.”
Police are still conducting further investigations in the case to connect all the dots involved. Limpopo like its sister province of Matabeleland South across the Limpopo in Zimbabwe is a den of cross border crimes as they house the gateway to SADC and the rest of Africa by road.