A suspected vehicle smuggling route through the Beitbridge border post has been disrupted after two men were sentenced to a combined 25 year direct imprisonment for transporting stolen vehicles worth more than R1.5 million.
The Polokwane and Mokopane Regional Courts separately sentenced the accused on Tuesday, May 12, in two unrelated cases involving stolen vehicles allegedly destined to be smuggled out of the country through the Beitbridge Port of Entry.
In the first matter, the Polokwane Regional Court sentenced 30-year-old Prince Tshanduko Kgopana to 18 years direct imprisonment for theft of a motor vehicle after he was caught driving a stolen Toyota Hilux double cab worth about R900,000 on 12 February 2024.
Limpopo police spokesperson Colonel Malesela Ledwaba said the vehicle had been stolen in Pretoria before it was intercepted along the N1 near Peter Mokaba Stadium.
“The vehicle had been reported stolen in Pretoria and was destined to be smuggled out of the country through the Beitbridge Port of Entry,” said Ledwaba.
In a separate case, the Mokopane Regional Court sentenced 34-year-old Bhekamaswazwi Hlatshwayo to an effective seven-year direct imprisonment after he was found driving a stolen Toyota Corolla Cross valued at around R600,000.
Ledwaba said the vehicle had been reported stolen in Gauteng before officers intercepted it while it was allegedly being transported towards the Beitbridge border.
“The accused was arrested on 12 November 2025 after he was found driving a Toyota Corolla Cross valued at approximately R600 000, which had been reported stolen in Gauteng Province and was being transported towards the Beitbridge Port of Entry,” he added.
Hlatshwayo received five years imprisonment for possession of a stolen motor vehicle and an additional two years for reckless and negligent driving. The court ordered that the sentences run separately, resulting in an effective seven-year jail term.
Limpopo Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe welcomed the convictions and praised investigators for disrupting what police believe forms part of ongoing vehicle smuggling activities targeting neighbouring countries.
“The Provincial Commissioner of Police in Limpopo, Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe, welcomed the sentencing, and she praised members involved in the successful arrests and prosecution of the accused.”
The convictions are expected to strengthen ongoing efforts by law enforcement agencies to crack down on vehicle theft syndicates and cross-border smuggling routes operating through Limpopo.
The Star
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