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Sukulwenkosi Dube Plumtree Correspondent
POLICE in Plumtree intercepted 11 people who had smuggled a variety of goods from Botswana into the country at a road block.
Six of the smugglers were travelling in a bus while five others were in a kombi.First to appear in court were the smugglers who were on board a Khanda Bus.

The six, Tsitsi Chigwida, 26, Faith Musenga, 31, Sinodiya Kanengoni, 39, Tariro Pedzai, 30, Samantha Mukombe, 35, and Thomas Mutsamanyi, 36 were convicted yesterday separately for smuggling by Plumtree magistrate, Gideon Ruvetsa.

They were each fined $100 or 20 days imprisonment, if they fail to pay the fines. The six were also ordered to reimburse the amount prejudiced to the State.

Both public transport vehicles were ferrying people from Botswana to Harare and Gweru.

Prosecuting, Elisha Mazorodze said the smugglers were intercepted at a roadblock at the 98 kilometre peg along the Bulawayo-Plumtree Highway.

“On 21 May around 5PM accused persons were travelling on board a Khanda Bus which was ferrying passengers from Botswana into the country.

“Police detectives that were manning a roadblock stopped the bus and conducted a search where they discovered that six passengers were carrying smuggled goods,” said Mazorodze.

He said Chigwida was in possession of 26 pairs of footwear, 10 towels and 26 tracksuits valued at P1, 035 while Musenga was in possession of 51 pairs of footwear valued at P1,155.

Mazorodze said Kanengoni was found in possession of 49 pairs of footwear valued at P685.

He said Pedzai was in possession of 33 pairs of footwear and 24 tracksuits valued at P980 while Mukombe was in possession of 52 pairs of footwear valued at P750 while Mutsamayi was in possession of 12 pairs of footwear and 15 jackets valued at P960.

In the other case, five smugglers, Brenda Kopi, 38, Sekayi Mandeya, 45, Lings Mamire, 23, Esther Bakasa, 35, and Moreblessing Zuva, 27, were separately convicted of smuggling by Plumtree magistrate, Livard Philemon.

Kopi was fined $200 (or 40 days in jail) after she was found in possession of P1, 805 worth of smuggled goods.

Mondeya was fined $100 or 20 days imprisonment after she was found in possession of smuggled goods worth P2,540.

Mamire who was in possession of P1,355 worth of smuggled goods was fined $100 or a month imprisonment in case of default.

Philemon ordered Bakasa to pay a $300 fine or spend three months in prison after she was found in possession of goods valued at P3,861 while Zuva who was found in possession of goods valued at P3,015 was fined $200 or three months imprisonment.

Prosecuting, Jane Phiri said the five smugglers were arrested on May 6 while they were travelling in a kombi.

“Police detectives from the Plumtree Minerals and Border Control Unit got a tip off around 8PM that the vehicle had smuggled goods. They followed the vehicle which was parked at the Plumtree Border Post Rank where they conducted a search and discovered that the accused persons had smuggled goods,” said Phiri.

The smugglers, who all admitted to the charges, told the court that they committed the offences in a bid to sustain their families.