The Provincial Commissioner of Limpopo Lt Gen Fanie Masemola has praised the Musina Regional Court for handing down an eight year prison sentence to a 23-year-old Zimbabwean woman Elita Sibanda who was found guilty of illegally smuggling explosives into the country through the Beitbridge Border Post in October.
Elita Sibanda was arrested while travelling in a bus from Zimbabwe to South Africa at Beitbrigde following a routine police search. While busy searching the suspect’s luggage, members discovered 26 plastic cartridges and 100 detonators. She was charged for unauthorised importation, supply or possession of an explosive or incendiary device or part thereof and pleaded guilty on all these charges in the Musina Regional Court. During her court appearance she indicated that she bought the explosives from a shop in Harare and that she was transporting it to South Africa with the intention to sell the devices to illegal miners.
Following Sibanda’s sentence on Tuesday, Lt Gen Masemola said he was happy with the exemplary lengthy sentence which he said will send jitters down the spine of those who are planning to commit the same crime. “As the police we always feel good when a convection is attained. Sibanda’s imprisonment is testimony that our police at the border posts are alert and our investigators are well equipped. We therefore warn anybody planning to go the same route that we are ready for them and with the courts complementing our job, more harsher sentences will await perpetrators,” said Masemola.
The soft spoken Masemola added that he wishes the same sentence could be handed to those suspects who were arrested after Sibanda for the same offence. He said the operations at the Beit Bridge border post have been beefed up and the ever alert police will be on the lookout for any criminal activities.
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