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Thupeyo Muleya, Beitbridge Bureau

A ZIMBABWEAN truck driver has been jailed for an effective 15 years for smuggling explosives worth R200 000 into South Africa.

South Africa’s elite cops, the Hawks, arrested Alois Kamwaza in July this year at the Beitbridge Border Post.

Hawks spokesperson for Limpopo Captain Matimba Maluleke confirmed the development on Wednesday.

“On 23 July 2022, Kamwaza was enroute from Zimbabwe to South Africa when he was stopped by the Border Police at Beitbridge Port of Entry,” he said.

“The police subjected a truck to mandatory search and they made a shocking discovery of the explosives that were hidden inside the tools box at the back of his truck.

“The driver was interviewed and it was established that the explosives were destined for Gauteng Province”.

Captain Maluleke said police found 779 units of blasting cartridges and three reels of detonating fuse with an estimated value of R200 000 loaded in his truck.

These were immediately seized and he was arrested.

He said Kamwaza has been in custody until he was sentenced on November 4.

“In another separate, but similar incident, an undocumented foreign national was also sentenced to 15 years imprisonment for unlawful possession of explosives,” said Capt Maluleke.

“On 27 May 2022, members of the South African National Defence Force saw a suspicious man walking at Beitbridge Port of Entry. They then approached, searched his bag and found 489 units of blasting cartridges with the value of R146 700.

The accused, Wilman Mwando (40) was arrested and he has been in police custody as well until he was convicted and sentenced to 15 years direct imprisonment by the Musina Magistrate’s Court on November 4.”

He said Mwando was also found guilty of failing to use the port of entry to enter South Africa and for entering and remaining in that country without Legal documentation.

He was further fined R5 000 or three months imprisonment on each offence.

-@tupeyo