Online Reporter
Thupeyo Muleya, Beitbridge Bureau
TWO suspected cross border car thieves were stopped in their tracks along the N1 in Limpopo after a high speed anti smuggling operation netted a stolen Toyota Corolla worth at least R600 000 that was reportedly on its way to Zimbabwe.
The 40 year old Malawian and a 38 year old Zimbabwean, were intercepted near Polokwane on Sunday as joint security teams from Zimbabwe and South Africa intensified their crackdown on vehicle smuggling syndicates.
Authorities believe the pair is linked to well organised networks made up of South Africans, Batswana, Basotho, Mozambicans, Malawians and Zimbabweans who steal vehicles for export. Some are also involved in insurance fraud schemes where owners deliberately sell their cars to these criminals, then falsely report them stolen to claim payouts.
Investigations show that in most cases South Africans drive the stolen cars to illegal exit points where they hand them over to accomplices from other nationalities depending on which border the vehicle is crossing.
Limpopo SAPS spokesperson Colonel Malasela Ledwaba said the arrests followed quick coordination between multiple units. He said the Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe, had commended the teams for acting swiftly.
“The multi disciplinary teams intercepted the reported stolen vehicle and arrested two suspects on Sunday 30 November 2025,” said Col Ledwaba.
He said members of the SAPS Limpopo Tracking Team, Shadow Secure Security, Tshimollo Security and Tracker SA were carrying out an anti smuggling operation when they received intel that a stolen vehicle was travelling from Gauteng to Beitbridge along the N1.
The team kept surveillance until the Toyota Corolla Cross GR matching the description appeared near Mall of the North. Officers pulled it over and immediately established that it had been stolen in Pretoria Central.
A case of possession of a suspected stolen motor vehicle has since been opened in Polokwane. The duo is expected to appear in the Polokwane Magistrates Court on Tuesday.
