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Tichaona Zindoga
A Zimbabwean man was on Monday arrested in Durban, South Africa, after he tried to bribe a South African police officer who had seized smuggled cigarettes worth 50 000 rand from him. Tsepo Pasipamire (22) had 224 cartons of cigarettes stashed in a car, hidden under picture frames, and tried to offer 10 000 rand as bribe when the police pounced on him.
A statement by the KwaZulu Natal Media Centre Corporate Communication of the South African Police Service said members of the SAPS Railway Police were conducting an investigation into the trade of illegal cigarettes in the Durban central business district on Monday when they seized 224 cartons of illegal cigarettes with a street value of 50 000 rand.
“They spotted the vehicle and immediately stopped it. During a search, they found a large box with photo frames. After removing the frames they found 224 cartons of illegal cigarettes at the bottom of the box,” said the statement.
“The suspect, a 22-year-old Zimbabwean national tried to bribe the police officers with an amount of 10 000 rand and was immediately arrested and charged him for being in possession illegal cigarettes and corruption.”
He was due to appear late on Tuesday.
The provincial commissioner of KwaZulu-Natal, Lieutenant General Mmamonnye Ngobeni commended police members for the arrest and seizure of the illegal cigarettes.
“We want to urge members of the community not to support the trade in these illegal cigarettes and to report retailers that are trading in these cigarettes to police,” she said.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday a 23-year-old Zimbabwean woman Elita Sibanda was slapped with an eight-year prison sentence after being found guilty of illegally smuggling explosives into the country through the Beitbridge border post in October. Sibanda was arrested while travelling in a bus from Zimbabwe to South Africa at Beitbridge following a routine police search. According to South African authorities, a search on Sibanda’s luggage, led police to discover 26 plastic cartridges and 100 detonators.
She was charged for unauthorised importation, supply or possession of an explosive or incendiary device or part thereof and pleaded guilty on all these charges in the Musina Regional Court.
During her court appearance she indicated that she bought the explosives from a shop in Harare and that she was transporting them to South Africa with the intention to sell the devices to illegal miners..
Online Reporter