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Home affairs officials convicted at Beitbridge
Two South African officials and a Zimbabwean have been convicted of trying to smuggle ivory and cigarettes from Zimbabwe, Harare's Herald newspaper reported today.
Its website said the trio would be sentenced in the Beitbridge Magistrates Court later in the day. They are home affairs officials Jacob Martin Venter (34), Ndwamato Nathatali Lukoto (49) and Takawira Mahachi (29) of Beitbridge. The two South Africans were stationed at Makhado. The three were arrested in Zimbabwe last week for attempting to smuggle over 100 pieces of ivory and 400 bricks of cigarettes out of the country. On May 18, the prosecution told the court, Venter and Lukoto came to Beitbridge driving a South African home affairs ministry truck carrying illegal Zimbabwean immigrants from that country. After offloading the deportees at Beitbridge Police Station, the two met Mahachi. The trio hatched a plan to smuggle ivory ornaments and cigarettes using the home affairs truck. They went to Mahachi's house in the low-density suburb of Beitbridge, where the goods were loaded.
Mahachi promised Venter and Lukoto a kickback of R1800. Zimbabwean police intercepted the truck at the border post. All three men were found guilty as charged in the Beitbridge Magistrate's Court yesterday. - Sapa
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