By Montsho Matlala
Musina – Five South African National Defence Force (SANDF) soldiers have been arrested for allegedly using their weapons to wrestle a consignment of cigarettes from smugglers at the Beit Bridge Port of Entry linking South Africa and Zimbabwe.
They are expected to appear in the Musina Magistrate’s Court, Limpopo, on Thursday on charges including illegal discharge of firearms, defeating the ends of justice, and illegal possession of cigarettes.
Two Zimbabwean men, who allegedly tried to smuggle the cigarettes into South Africa when the soldiers intercepted them, were also arrested.
The pair was found to have entered the country without proper documentation, according to Limpopo provincial police spokesperson Brigadier Hlulani Mashaba.
The five soldiers, including one female, allegedly conspired on Tuesday to intercept and steal a consignment of illicit cigarettes being smuggled into the country from Zimbabwe at Artonvilla along Malaladrift Road near the Limpopo River, police said.
“The soldiers reportedly fired shots, forcing the smugglers to abandon 24 boxes of illicit cigarettes. Six boxes were later found hidden inside a temporary military camp,” Mashaba added.
The five soldiers and two Zimbabwean men were arrested during a joint intelligence-led operation conducted by a police task team and the military intelligence unit.
Provincial police commissioner Lieutenant-General Thembi Hadebe praised the teams involved in apprehending the soldiers and the alleged smugglers, warning that corruption involving officers entrusted with national security will not be tolerated.
However, sources at the border said corruption at the Beit Bridge Port of Entry is rife and becoming a daily occurrence.
“It is not only undocumented Zimbabweans who cross here every day after paying police, Home Affairs, and army syndicates, but even undocumented people from Asia, Europe, and across Africa. Here, you pay officials and get a pass or even a new identity,” a source said.
A worker at the port of entry said almost every week, two to five cars stolen in South Africa are smuggled into Zimbabwe because money changes hands among syndicates of thieves, police, army, and customs officials.
Earlier, Hadebe revealed at a ceremony held in Polokwane while releasing crime statistics for the fourth quarter (January 2025 to March 2025) that it is difficult to arrest undocumented immigrants who commit crimes because there are no fingerprints of them in South Africa.
“Some will slip back to their countries after committing crimes here,” she said.
