Two foreign nationals were arrested in Limpopo after police intercepted a Toyota Corolla Cross GR reported stolen in Pretoria Central, allegedly being smuggled toward the Zimbabwean border.
The SAPS Limpopo Tracking Team, working with Shadowsecure Security, Tshimollo Security and Investigation, and Tracker SA, launched the operation after intelligence indicated the vehicle was travelling along the N1 from Gauteng toward the Beitbridge port of entry.
The vehicle, valued at approximately R600,000, was spotted near the Mall of the North in Polokwane. Officers confirmed through preliminary checks that the car had been reported stolen. Inside were two men — a 38-year-old Zimbabwean and a 43-year-old Malawian — who were arrested for possession of a suspected stolen motor vehicle.
The suspects are scheduled to appear in the Polokwane Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, December 2, 2025.
Limpopo provincial police commissioner Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe praised the collaboration between police and private security, noting that such coordinated operations help disrupt vehicle smuggling networks targeting cross-border routes.
Earlier, in May 2024, 40-year-old Simon Andile Nyathi was arrested in a similar case involving a stolen Isuzu double cab belonging to the SAPS Crime Intelligence Unit. Nyathi was sentenced to 15 years in prison by the Polokwane Regional Court for vehicle theft and contravention of the Immigration Act.
