Stolen South African cars are being smuggled daily to neighbouring countries, as The South African has covered previously. It’s become so prevalent that towns bordering the Mozambique and Zimbabwe border are being overrun with ‘outlaw’ smugglers.
Now, She Corresponds Africa reports that criminal elements are working with the police and Central Vehicle Registry (CVR) to get vehicles across the border and sold with forged paperwork to unsuspecting buyers.
STOLEN SOUTH AFRICAN CARS
According to the report, roughly three cases per week are brought forward by the National Prosecuting
Tracker officials together with the SANDF and members of the local community recovered a Ford Ranger which had been abandoned in the Limpopo River while crossing to Zimbabwe. The vehicle was confirmed to have been stolen in Durban. >MN @DOD_SANDF @_SANDF_ @Abramjee @stolencarRSA pic.twitter.com/Co02ZpptGG
— Tracker South Africa (@Tracker_SA) January 31, 2020
Authority for Zim motorists in possession of stolen South African cars. In 2022, over 200 high-end stolen South African cars were seized and impounded by Zim authorities.
Specifically, a popular smuggling route is over the dried-up Limpopo River. And that’s why vehicles with high ground clearance, like SUVs and bakkies, are more popular. As low-slung luxury sedans often get stuck. In which case, beached cars are put on sleds and pulled across by donkeys. When the river is flowing, cars often become submerged and float away downriver.
A major suspect believed to be the ringleader in the Limpopo-Zimbabwe smuggling syndicate was arrested recently. The Special Investigations Unit (SIU), or Hawks, nabbed Raymond Tshabalala (28). Likewise, nine members of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) believed to be part of the smuggling ring were arrested back in 2021.
Furthermore, villagers living near the Limpopo River crossing report as many as three stolen South African cars per day are dragged across the river. Most concerning is the fact that insiders in the Zimbabwean CVR have the necessary paperwork ready to go by the time the vehicles reach Bulawayo or Harare. Getting a new licence/VIN number, often from a written-off vehicle of similar spec, costs as little as $100.
LOSING THE FIGHT
Last month, SAPS boss Bheki Cele praised the recovery of 64 stolen vehicles and 140 arrests. This is after one full year of the cross-border task force with Mozambique. However, SAPS reported 5 511 cars hijacked or stolen in the last three months, which is 1 800 per month, or 60 every day. So, there is clearly much more work that needs to be done to stop the flow of stolen South African cars out of the country.
