KWAZULU-NATAL. – Two men were arrested on Thursday 29 October after border officials intercepted two Ford Ranger bakkies that were allegedly hired through fraud and were to be smuggled into Mozambique.
According to the Border Management Authority (BMA), officials at approximately 12:30 stopped a white 2025 Ford Ranger double-cab bakkie at the Kosi Bay border post. The driver, a 75-year-old South African man, was heading to Mozambique.
Officials established that the vehicle belonged to a car rental company. The company confirmed that it had not given permission for the bakkie to be taken across the border.
According to the company's tracking system, the vehicle was still in Johannesburg. When the company tried to verify the vehicle's location, it was discovered that the tracking device had been removed.
Border officials identified a second Ford Ranger during the operation that, according to the rental company, was also hired through fraud.
The BMA worked with Mozambican authorities to intercept the second vehicle and its driver. The driver claimed during questioning that he had borrowed the bakkie from a friend in Pretoria.
According to the BMA, the investigation also revealed that documents used to take the vehicles across the border were allegedly forged.
Both men were arrested on charges related to possession of allegedly stolen property, forgery, fraud and use of forged documents.
They were expected to appear in court for the first time on Friday 30 October.
Dr Michael Masiapato, commissioner of the BMA, emphasised the importance of cooperation between border officials, vehicle rental companies and authorities in neighbouring countries to combat vehicle smuggling.
Sources: Border Management Authority; SAnews.
This article is an automatic English translation of a Nuusflits article originally published in Afrikaans. Read the Afrikaans original.
