Police thwart thieves' attempt to use donkeys to drag car across border

Police minister Fikile Mbalula on Tuesday commended police who foiled another enterprising attempt by thieves to smuggle a car across the border into Zimbabwe.

The police recovered a Mercedes Benz sedan on Monday after thieves used four donkeys to drag the vehicle across the partially dry Limpopo River.

According to Limpopo police spokesperson Brigadier Motlafela Mojapelo the new shape C220 was recovered on the riverbed close to Musina.

“The suspects were using donkeys to pull the car across the river‚ but our members were just in time to pounce on them after the donkeys were apparently no longer able to pull it through the sand.”

The suspects fled into the bushes towards Zimbabwe. No arrests have been made. The donkeys were unharmed.

A vehicle stolen in Durban in December last year was recovered by police when thieves attempting to smuggle the vehicle into Zimbabwe also tried to use donkeys to pull it across the then swollen Limpopo River.

The vehicle‚ which was semi-submerged in the water‚ was spotted from a helicopter on December 23 during a high-density operation in Musina and Beitbridge.

“On noticing the police helicopter‚ the suspects abandoned the vehicle and the donkeys and fled‚” Mojapelo said at the time.

The donkeys were unharmed.