A 51-year-old man from Zimbabwe is set to appear in court on Friday after he was arrested while driving a stolen luxury SUV near the Beitbridge border.
The vehicle, a white Nissan Patrol V8 5.6 worth approximately R2.5 million, was intercepted by police during a coordinated anti-smuggling operation along the N1 highway near Polokwane. The team, made up of police and private security firms, had been tracking the SUV based on intelligence indicating it had been stolen in Brooklyn, Pretoria.
Authorities stopped the vehicle near Shell Ultra City, and the driver was immediately arrested and charged with possession of a suspected stolen vehicle.
The arrest comes amid growing efforts to crack down on cross-border vehicle smuggling, particularly along routes leading to Zimbabwe. The provincial police commissioner praised the swift recovery of the vehicle and the cooperation between various security units.
In a separate case earlier this year, another man was arrested while trying to smuggle a stolen Toyota Corolla Cross toward the same border. Police intercepted that vehicle after a high-speed chase and found its tracking device had been tampered with.
Both incidents are part of a troubling trend involving stolen vehicles being transported out of the country, often linked to organized crime syndicates. Law enforcement continues to monitor and respond to these activities with targeted operations.