The Hight Court in Polokwane has granted a forfeiture order for a Toyota Corolla, valued at R86,400 after the vehicle was impounded for transporting illicit cigarettes.
The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, also known as the Hawks and the National Prosecuting Authority’s Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU) had applied and secured the final forfeiture order from the court.
Hawks spokesperson in Limpopo, Warrant Officer Lethunya Mmuroa said in August 2022, the accused Oliver Maupanga was arrested while trying to escape from the police officer who had instructed him to stop.
He said after the search, police found eight boxes of cigarettes inside the vehicle and investigations began.
“The case was finalised and referred to AFU for drafting of court order. The preservation order was granted in June 2023,” said Mmuroa.
“On Tuesday November 5 2024, the Limpopo division of the High Court sitting in Polokwane granted a forfeiture order for the Toyota Corolla vehicle.”
Meanwhile, acting provincial head of the Hawks in Limpopo, Brigadier Lesibana Meshack Malapile has saluted the investigation team “for the excellent job”.
In May, IOL reported that the Musina Regional Court sentenced Nthapeleng Adler Munyai, a 47-year-old former manager of Pamdozi Cargo International CC clearing agent and Tsumbedzo Priscilla Nemangani Mashito, a 47-year-old former SARS customs external verification officer at Beitbridge border post.
The two were each sentenced to an effective 15 years direct imprisonment term on counts of fraud, forgery, and two counts of corruption.
Limpopo spokesperson for the National Prosecution Authority (NPA), Mashudu Malabi-Dzhangi said trouble mounted for the duo following an incident which happened on March 14, 2016.
“The two accused were arrested for permitting an interlink truck with two trailers, loaded with 614 boxes of semi-manufactured tobacco to the value of over R6 million to enter the country from Zimbabwe, and using forged/fabricated/fraudulent consignment clearance documents and thereby processed through the Beitbridge border control’s customs control area without compliance with the normal customs clearance process and procedures,” said Malabi-Dzhangi.
She said the truck was later stopped at the Musina weigh bridge by an officer of the Road Traffic Management Cooperation (RTMC) who, upon noticing that the truck and trailers’ registration number plates did not correspond with the licence disks, on reasonable grounds suspected that there could be something wrong with the load/consignment on the truck.
IOL