Online Reporter
Danisa Masuku [email protected]
A CROSS-BORDER transporter who was allegedly caught with 26kg of dagga with a street value of ZWG780 000 has appeared in court for trial.
Nhlanhla Manzini (39) from Bulawayo’s Hillside suburb appeared on Thursday for trial before Bulawayo Regional Magistrate Ms Sinonginkosi Mkandla charged with unlawful possession of dagga as defined in section 157(1)(a) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act.
He pleaded not guilty and was represented by Mr Simbarashe Innocent Madzivire of Mashayamombe Law Firm.
“The accused person denies the allegations levelled against him. He is a cross-border transporter. His job entails transporting people and goods to and from Johannesburg, South Africa.
“The accused person has built a solid clientele base, which leads him to delegate some of his services to other transporters for a fee. Further, as a transporter, when clients require his services while he is not at a particular place he enlists the services of others to maintain his relationship with his clients,” argued Mr Madzivire.
“In this case he was instructed by one of his clients, Ms Linda Mlambo, to collect her goods, which were from her relative who works in South Africa. The accused person’s client advised him that the bag contained her flea market goods, mainly shoes and clothes, worth R30 000. The accused person waited for the cross-border transporter and collected his carrier bag, presuming it contained goods for his flea market business, and was then arrested.”
Prosecutor, Ms Mufaro Ndirayire told the court that on 25 July 2026, detectives from CID Drugs and Narcotics in Beitbridge intercepted cross-border driver Thulani Ndiweni at Beitbridge Border Post and recovered a bag containing dagga.
“Thulani Ndiweni then implicated the accused person as the owner of the contraband. A controlled delivery was then initiated.
“On 26 July 2026 at around 6pm, police officers from Beitbridge CID Drugs and Narcotics and Bulawayo’s CID Drugs and Narcotics teamed up and planned how to effect the arrest.
“They used the driver to phone the accused and inform him about his contraband. The accused did not suspect anything and instructed them where to meet. The accused drove to the scene and was then handed the contraband by Ndiweni, leading to his arrest,” said Ms Ndirayire.
The accused person was asked to produce a permit, which allows him to possess dagga but he failed, leading to his arrest.
“The accused person and the recovered dagga were escorted to CID Drugs and Narcotics Bulawayo offices where Form 390, serial number 004969, was issued to the accused person.
“On 27 July 2026 at around 2pm, the dagga was taken to Zimpost Bulawayo for weighing in the presence of the accused person and it weighed 26 kilograms with a street value of ZWG780 000,” said Ms Ndirayire.
The trial continues on Monday.
