The Limpopo Directorate for Priority Crimes Investigation (DPCI) has announced the sentencing of a 42-year-old Zimbabwean national, Edgar Maroto, to an effective 20 years’ imprisonment for the unlawful possession of explosives at the Beitbridge Port of Entry.
Maroto was arrested on Friday, 10 April 2026, after alert members at the border post intercepted a truck. Members of the Border Management Authority (BMA) assisted in apprehending the driver after observing a South African Revenue Service (SARS) customs officer in pursuit of the vehicle.
A subsequent intensive search of the truck uncovered a consignment of explosives. The scene was documented by the Musina Local Criminal Record Center (LCRC) and processed by the Musina Explosives Unit. Authorities seized 3,970 blasting cartridge tubes, 48 capsules of Cammex connectors, and 10 reels of detonator fuse. The exhibits, which have an estimated street value of R400,000, were placed under the custodianship of the Musina police.
Following the DPCI investigation, Maroto appeared in court and was sentenced on two charges:
Count 1: Unlawful possession of explosives – 15 years’ imprisonment.
Count 2: Contravention of the Prevention of Organised Crime Act (POCA) – 10 years’ imprisonment.
The court ordered that five years of the 10-year term run concurrently with the 15-year main sentence, resulting in an effective 20 years’ imprisonment.