Online Reporter
Sikhumbuzo Moyo
IT was a high-stakes game of cat and mouse but the law won.
Two Beitbridge men, Tinashe Chivende (27) and Emmanuel Runesu, were busted trying to sneak five bales of mbanje into Zimbabwe from South Africa, with a street value of R200 000.
The duo, both from Dulibadzimu suburb, were nabbed in the early hours of 28 June while driving a grey Toyota Wish stuffed with 310kg of the illegal stash. Their target was Harare.
Matabeleland South police spokesperson Inspector Chiratidzo Dube said cops received a tip-off that Chivende was using the Mazunga dust road to dodge the Makado roadblock.
A joint operation between police and Mazunga Game Rangers cornered the suspects near Bubye Valley Conservancy. A search of the vehicle led to the discovery of five bales and 11 cobs of mbanje.
The suspects confessed they smuggled the loot across the Limpopo River through an illegal crossing point. The dagga was handed to them by a man only identified as Jaiden, believed to be based in Musina.
They were to receive drop-off instructions in Harare and had been paid US$300 each plus a full tank of fuel.
The dagga was weighed at ZIMPOST Beitbridge in their presence and recorded a total of 307.568kg. A certificate of weight was issued.
Insp Dube warned that the drug war is far from over.
ZRP Matabeleland South will continue patrols and drug searches across borders and within communities. We applaud the public for whistleblowing and assure confidentiality, she said.
Busted. Booked. And heading for court.
