Cross-border car smuggling suspect held after high-speed chase

Police on Friday arrested a 37-year-old man suspected of being part of a syndicate that smuggles stolen vehicles between Zimbabwe and South Africa.

Police said the Hawks’ serious organised crime investigation unit acted swiftly on intelligence received regarding two vehicles, a Ford Everest SUV and a Chevrolet Cruze sedan, that were allegedly stolen in Gauteng and were en route to Zimbabwe.

"The vehicles were recovered at Hendrik Verwoerd tunnel near Musina on Friday morning following a high-speed chase. One suspect managed to get away," police spokesperson Capt Matimba Maluleke said.

He said the investigation to ascertain the origin of the recovered vehicles was under way and that a search was on for the second suspect.

The arrested man will appear in the Makhado Magistrate’s Court on Monday.