Online Reporter
Thupeyo Muleya Beitbridge Bureau
A 33-YEAR-OLD Zimbabwean man has been slammed with a crushing 15-year jail sentence by a South African court after he was caught red-handed smuggling explosives into the country aboard a cross-border bus.
Brighton Fore was convicted on Tuesday by the Musina Regional Court for unlawful possession of explosives, bringing to a close a year-long investigation led by the Hawks, South Africa’s crack crime-busting unit.
The explosives were discovered on 29 January 2024 when police at the Beitbridge Border Post stopped and searched a bus travelling from Zimbabwe. Tucked away in a bag were 94 detonator cartridges and 100 capped fuses.
“The Musina-based Bomb Disposal Unit and Musina Local Criminal Record Center were summoned to the scene. A bomb technician confirmed the recovered items as explosives,” said Hawks Limpopo spokesperson, Warrant Officer Lethunya Mmuroa.
Fore was immediately arrested and detained at Musina SAPS. Despite multiple failed bail applications over the past year, he remained in custody until sentencing.
“On 22 July 2025, Musina Regional Court convicted and sentenced a Zimbabwean national, Fore Brighton (33) to 15 years direct imprisonment,” added Mmuroa.
The Hawks’ Serious Organised Crime Investigation Unit took over the docket and meticulously built a case that led to the hefty sentence.
Hawks Provincial Head in Limpopo, Major General (Adv) Gopz Govender, hailed the ruling:
“We welcome the conviction and sentence. This should serve as a stern warning to those thinking of smuggling explosives. They will be caught, convicted, and jailed.”
Explosive smuggling across the Zimbabwe–South Africa border is reportedly fueling illegal mining activities in Gauteng and Free State, with over 10 similar arrests made in just the last six months.
derick.khumalo