South Africa’s (SA) Border Management Authority says a cache of explosives discovered in a truck entering the country from Zimbabwe is believed to be linked to cash-in-transit robberies and illegal mining.
The truck driver, Edgar Maroto, was arrested at the Beitbridge Border Post near Musina. He is expected to apply for bail on Monday.
Authorities estimate that the seized explosives are worth around R1 million ($62 000). Assistant Commissioner Nthuliseni Luvhengo said the haul includes thousands of blasting cartridges, detonators and fuse reels.
Luvhengo said officials became suspicious after discovering a concealed container mounted beneath the truck.
“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 containing what we refer to as explosives. We suspect these are the kind of explosives used in cash-in-transit robberies, as well as in illegal mining activities.”
–ChannelAfrica–
