BY KENNETH NYANGANI
MUTARE Central police boss Chief Superintendent Lovemore Mutadza yesterday admitted that there is rampant smuggling of used clothes from Mozambique through the porous Forbes Border Post.
Mutadza told journalists at Mutare Central Police Station that on Wednesday night, they intercepted a vehicle carrying 37 bales of second-hand shoes at Christmas Pass along the Harare-Mutare Highway after a high-speed chase.
He said smuggling of goods was difficult to deal with since Mutare was a border city.
“Mutare Central district as you know is a border city and a lot of things are happening, including smuggling. Sometimes we make arrests and at times we don’t,” Mutadza said.
“We do our patrols inland, while the Zimbabwe National Army and other security services do their patrols at the border. When smugglers pass through the porous border post, we try to arrest them inland.
Keep Reading
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
“The previous night, we received a tip-off that some goods had been smuggled, and we deployed a vigilant team of police officers who managed to waylay a vehicle with 37 bales.”
Mutadza said the police officers shot the rear wheels of the smugglers’ Nissan Caravan vehicle, deflating its tyres in the process as the driver jumped off and fled into the night.
- Follow Kenneth on Twitter @KennethNyangan1