Three arrested at border for possession of explosives

Date: 06 August 2018 By: Andries van Zyl

Three people were arrested at the Beitbridge border post on Saturday, after police discovered a large number of concealed explosives inside the truck they were traveling in.

According to provincial police spokesperson Col Moatshe Ngoepe, the truck was stopped at the SARS scanner for scanning purposes.

Upon scanning, authorities noticed something suspicious inside the truck and decided to investigate. This ultimately led to the discovery of a consignment of explosives with an estimated street value of R300 000. It consisted of 750 blasting caps and three rolls of explosive cabling.

Following the discovery, three suspects aged between 36 and 45 years were arrested. The truck in which they were traveling was also confiscated by the police. “The origin and destination of these explosives is still being determined,” said Ngoepe.

By the time of going to press, it was not sure if the suspects had appeared in court yet.

The police’s provincial commissioner, Lieutenant General Nneke Ledwaba, welcomed the discovery of the explosives and subsequent arrests following this joint operation. He encouraged all members of law enforcement to double their efforts in dealing with this type of crime at the country’s border posts.

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Andries van Zyl

Andries joined the Zoutpansberger and Limpopo Mirror in April 1993 as a darkroom assistant. Within a couple of months he moved over to the production side of the newspaper and eventually doubled as a reporter. In 1995 he left the newspaper group and travelled overseas for a couple of months. In 1996, Andries rejoined the Zoutpansberger as a reporter. In August 2002, he was appointed as News Editor of the Zoutpansberger, a position he holds until today.

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