A ZIMBABWEAN man has been arrested in the North West province of South Africa for attempting to smuggle R12 million worth of locally made cigarettes after taking advantage of scanners disabled by power outages.
It is alleged Joseph Kusekwa (43) crossed the border into South Africa from Botswana at a time when Customs and Excise scanners were down due load-shedding.
Kusekwa on July 27 appeared before the Lehurutshe Magistrates’ Court for a formal bail application.
“Kusekwa who is a Zimbabwean national, with no legal documentation to be in the country, was arrested by the North West provincial Anti-Corruption Investigating Unit (ACIU) for allegedly trying to smuggle illicit cigarettes worth more than R12 million on Friday July 21, 2023. The state intends to oppose his bail application,” the South African National Prosecuting Authority regional spokesperson for the North West Division, Henry Mamothame, said in a statement.
“Police reports revealed that the suspect, who is a truck driver, was coming from Botswana entering South Africa at Skilpadhek port of entry at approximately 6:40 during load-shedding, when trucks entering/leaving the country are not allowed to do so at the port of entries, owing to computers being off-line.
“It is alleged that a police official, who was patrolling along the border, saw the truck leaving the border, driving towards Zeerust. Reports suggest that the member informed his commander and the truck was chased and stopped before it reached Zeerust.”
Kusekwa was ordered to drive back to Skilpadhek Border Post, where South African Revenue Services including Customs and Excise officers inspected the truck and boxes of cigarettes which the driver failed to declare at customs and were valued at R12 868 509, were discovered inside the truck.
“The driver was immediately arrested and charged with possession of illicit cigarettes. The police also indicated that the police official, who allowed the truck to leave the border, is being investigated and charges of defeating the ends of justice could be added when the investigations are concluded,” Mamothame said.
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He said the case was handed over to the North West Hawks (SA special investigations unit) for further management Kusekwa will remain in police custody until the next court appearance.
