Limpopo farmer arrested after stolen bakkie found buried on his land

A farmer in Limpopo has been arrested after a stolen double cab bakkie was found buried on his farm.

The unusual discovery was made by South African National Defence Force (SANDF) soldiers last week, thanks to a tip-off by another farmer in the Stockpoort area, reports Polokwane Review.

The vehicle was said to have been stolen in Lephalale.

Captain Moses Semono from Joint Tactical Headquarters in the province said in a statement that once the tip-off was received, soldiers, accompanied by Saps’ vehicle crime detection unit, descended on the farm to do a thorough investigation.

“The farmer vehemently denied that there is a vehicle, believed to have been used for criminal activities, hidden on his farm”, Semono said.

“Security forces dug until they found the vehicle, and upon digging deeper, they found an unlicensed shotgun and ammunition”.

The farmer was promptly arrested, and faces charges of possession of a stolen vehicle, as well as possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition.

More SANDF busts

Semono said the farmer’s arrest was not the only success enjoyed by soldiers in the province, with a number of arrests taking place over the past two weeks.

Two men carrying luggage on their heads were spotted crossing the Zimbabwe border into South Africa illegally.

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When approached by SANDF soldiers, they dropped the goods and ran.

Pursued and arrested by Lieutenant Colonel N.M. Ntsieng and his team, it was found their luggage contained sneakers worth R748 416.

“One of the men escaped from custody but was later re-arrested when he tried to claim the loot at customs at the Beitbridge Port of Entry,” Semono reported.

Border management authority officials, police, and the Department of Transport and Community Safety and Home Affairs also confiscated firearms to the value of R211 448 in Musina and Rangani villages near Masisi.

“Ammunition valued at R41 800 was confiscated, and 15 undocumented persons were arrested.

“The bus these undocumented persons were transported in, valued at R382 530, was impounded by SAPS for aiding and abetting,” Semono added.

Contraceptive pills valued at R423 916 were also confiscated near the Zimbabwe border after an attempt to smuggle the goods into South Africa illegally.

“When our soldiers approached the suspects, they dropped the luggage and ran back to Zimbabwe. The pills were handed over to Beitbridge Port Health as dictated by law,” according to Semono.

Six men were arrested after trying to move livestock worth more than R29 000 late at night.

The movement of livestock is currently prohibited due to an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease.

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The suspects were handed over to the members of the Department of Agriculture.

Livestock from Zimbabwe worth almost R1.5 million was also confiscated in the country. The animals are being checked for foot-and-mouth disease.

Edited by Nica Richards.

This article first appeared on Caxton publication Polokwane Review. Read the original article here.