6 soldiers arrested for smuggling vehicles over Limpopo river for R15k a pop
Six troops from the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) were arrested on Monday for smuggling vehicles over Limpopo River in exchange for money.
The group has been under law enforcement’s radar since their deployment at the Beitbridge Border Post in 2017.
It’s understood the soldiers would charge R15 000 for each car, sharing the spoils among themselves.
Spokesperson for the Hawks in Limpopo Matimba Maluleke says the arrests come amid a scourge in cross-border crimes in the country.
“Instead of carrying out their constitutional mandate of ensuring national security at the borders, they allegedly connived with vehicle smuggling syndicates to smuggle stolen vehicles through the Limpopo River in exchange for money.
“The suspects whose military ranks range between Lance-Coporal and Private were on the radar of the police until they were arrested by the team in North West, Northern Cape and Free State provinces,” Maluleke adds.
All six suspects, aged between 30 and 51, are expected to make their first court appearance in the Musina Magistrate's Court on Wednesday.
“We certainly hope that our joint team efforts will inspire confidence in the entire civil servant and the South African community at large.
“Those who are entrusted with responsibility to protect and serve must never be tempted by dirty money from organised criminal groups, otherwise the lessons will be learnt the hard way.”
Two other soldiers were arrested at the weekend for smuggling illicit cigarettes into the Beitbridge border, prompting the Fair-Trade Independent Tobacco Association to call for stronger measures to monitor the conduct of their members while on duty.
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