Border jumpers up for stock theft

FOUR Zimbabwean illegal immigrants have been charged with stock-theft after South African police found them in possession of stolen goats and sheep.

Petros Mbedzi (41), Phenuel Ndou (36), Hulisani Mbedzi (36) and Bokans Mave (36) appeared at the Polokwane Magistrates’ Court last Tuesday.

They were denied bail, and their case postponed to April 29. They were arrested at Nirvana N1 traffic circle outside Polokwane while driving an Isuzu pick-up truck with a trailer loaded with 52 goats and four sheep.

“They (police) stopped the vehicle and immediately called for police backup for assistance while interrogating the suspects about the origin of the livestock,” South African Police Services spokesman for Limpopo province Lieutenant colonel Mamphaswa Seabi said in a statement.

The suspects failed to produce documentation of the livestock.

“Preliminary investigations also revealed that the suspects were in the country illegally and the livestock was stolen from Zimbabwe and destined to be sold in Gauteng province.”

Further investigations resulted in police recovering 28 stolen goats at a plot in the Vereeniging policing precinct. — REX MPHISA