Truck driver, Edgar Maroto, arrested at the Beitbridge Border Post in Musina for allegedly smuggling explosives worth R1 million from Zimbabwe to South Africa, is expected to apply for bail on Monday.
Border Management Authority (BMA) Assistant Commissioner, Nthuliseni Luvhengo, says the explosives smuggled in a truck into the country are believed to be used in cash-in-transit robberies and illegal mining activities.
🧨R1-million in explosives, often linked to crime and illegal mining, stopped at Beitbridge!
DA Minister, Dr Leon Schreiber together with the Border Management Authority, is cracking down on crime at SA’s borders, keeping citizens safe and stopping crime before it enters SA. pic.twitter.com/BExfDlebYS
— Democratic Alliance (@Our_DA) April 16, 2026
Luvhengo says the items seized include thousands of blasting cartridges, detonators and fuse reels.
“We found that under the truck, there was a container that seemed to have been mounted, which was not part of the obvious items that the truck came with. When that particular item was inspected, we found that there were three bags. Those bags were containing the explosives, and we suspect that these are the kind of explosives that people use when they do these cash-in-transit heists, as well as when they are mining illegal minerals, so these are some of the things that are used by the illegal miners.”
Luvhengo adds that they have also seen an increase in the smuggling of fuel out of South Africa to Zimbabwe.
“The challenges which are also experienced at the port, other than what we are having, are the situation where people are buying fuel in South Africa and trying to smuggle it to Zimbabwe, and another problem is that of illicit cigarettes.”
“Obviously, the other challenges of late will be the smuggling of children, not necessarily trafficking. We call it smuggling because it’s not that people who are smuggling or taking them are trafficking them and the other challenge that we are experiencing, not necessarily in the big bridge, is the issue of fuel smuggling, where people obviously buy some fuel this side. I think it is as a result of the fact that fuel is a little bit expensive, particularly in Zimbabwe.”
