Chronicle Editor
Whinsley Masara/Thupeyo Muleya, Chronicle Reporters
AN “umalayitsha” has been arrested for unlawful possession of ammunition and illegal drugs (mbanje) at the Much Binding police road block along the Bulawayo-Beitbridge highway.
Lungile Luphahla (age not given), an assistant driver of a Toyota Quantum vehicle that was travelling from South Africa to Bulawayo with an unknown number of passengers, was found with six live bullets and a sachet of about 50 grammes of mbanje on Monday night.
Bulawayo acting police spokesperson Inspector Abednico Ncube said Luphahla was assisting police with investigations.
“Following a tip-off, police mounted a road block at the stated position and searched the suspect whom they had been informed was in possession of live bullets. The suspect was indeed found with six live rounds of ammunition of a yet to be established type of rifle and a sachet of mbanje.
“Police yesterday (Monday) arrested such a person who is now assisting police with further investigations. He will appear in court soon,” said Insp Ncube.
Meanwhile, a 39-year-old man was on Tuesday convicted of smuggling a firearm and ammunition into Zimbabwe through the Beitbridge Border Post.
Cuku Zuko of Cape Town was intercepted by detectives as he attempted to leave the border area on Sunday afternoon.
His motive for smuggling a Norinco Pistol and 37 rounds of lives ammunition is yet to be established. The smuggling of ammunition falls under the category of third schedule offences in the Criminal Procedure and Evidence Act Chapter 5.07 paragraph D.
Zuko was convicted on his own plea of guilty to smuggling and illegal possession of a fire-arm when he appeared before Beitbridge magistrate Mr Godswill Mavenge who remanded him in custody to today for sentencing.
Prosecuting Mr Misheck Guwanda said on Sunday, Zuko, who is not employed, entered Zimbabwe via Beitbridge Border Post.
Zuko, Mr Guwanda said, went through all immigration formalities and did not declare the firearm.
Detectives acting on a tip off busted him towards the northern border exit gate.
Mr Guwanda said Zuko was searched leading to the discovery of the Norinco Pistol hidden on his waist belt and 9mm x 37 live rounds, which were concealed in his satchel.
He said the detectives confiscated the pistol and the ammunition after he failed to produce customs and related import authorisation documents.
The smuggling of firearms from South Africa into the country has of late become rampant.
In 2016, four omalayitsha from Bulawayo were arrested at the same border post for smuggling bullets worth R42 855 from South Africa.
The quartet, travelling in a South Africa registered Toyota Quantum, had concealed several boxes of an assortment of bullet cartridges weighing 130 kg under other goods.
In the same year, a Ruwa businessman, Bensen Zindere, was fined $2 000 for smuggling 2 417 bullets from South Africa.
Zindere was intercepted by alert police detectives while about to leave the border area carrying his stuff in a small satchel.
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