FOURTEEN Zimbabweans aged between 18 and 42 years were on Wednesday arrested in Musina in the South African province of Limpopo after they were found in possession of explosives worth over R350 000.
NQOBILE BHEBHE CHIEF REPORTER
The suspects are said to have crossed into South Africa illegally and were nabbed with 100 detonators and cartridges stashed in bags.
In a statement, Limpopo police spokesman Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi said the suspects were due to appear in a Musina court today.
“The police in Musina have made yet another breakthrough when they arrested 14 suspects for being in possession of explosives on Wednesday afternoon,” he said.
“The suspects, all from Zimbabwe, had already crossed the Limpopo River illegally when they were confronted by officers who were in a joint operation with the South African National Defence Force about 10 kilometres east of Beitbridge.”
Mulaudzi said the explosives were mainly used to blow up ATMs and for illegal mining activities.
Bombings of ATMs are common in South Africa. In June, a 41-year-old Bulawayo woman Sibonginkosi Mhlakaniphiswa was arrested for allegedly smuggling a consignment of 80 detonators into South Africa. Mhlakaniphiswa was spotted carrying a suspicious white plastic bag at the border post. She was remanded in custody to today for trial.
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In May, three Zimbabweans were arrested at the Beitbridge border post when they were caught allegedly attempting to transport illegal explosives from South Africa into Zimbabwe.
The arrest followed a tip-off that a vehicle they were driving had explosives. Police searched the vehicle and unearthed five detonators and five gel cartridges.
