Hauling assets – carrying stolen goods across Zimbabwe border is donkey’s work

Police have again intercepted smugglers using donkeys to haul stolen goods across the border to Zimbabwe close to where they were used to tow a stolen Hilux bakkie across the Limpopo River.

“The suspects‚ when noticing a police helicopter landing on the river bank‚ fled into Zimbabwe; leaving the donkeys and the cart in the drier portion of the Limpopo River‚” said Limpopo police spokesman Brigadier Motlafela Mojapelo.

The goods were intercepted this week during an aerial operation led by provincial commissioner Lieutenant-General Nneke Ledwaba.

The donkey cart was spotted from the air‚ about 2km from where Ledwaba last week discovered a semi-submerged Toyota bakkie being pulled through the river by five donkeys.

“The suspects fled after they were spotted from a police helicopter. The origin of these items‚ which include groceries‚ is still being investigated and there is no arrest‚” said Mojapelo.

It took four hours to recover the bakkie from the river and then it was established that it had been stolen earlier in Durban‚ KwaZulu-Natal.

“The donkeys were unharmed and wandered off‚” said Mojapelo.