swaziland times

BABANE – Following a tip-off from an anonymous informant, the police made a major breakthrough and recovered four hijacked high-end cars.

Following police investigations, the vehicles were found to be suspected of being involved in the case and last week, 37-year-old liSwati was arrested by officers from the South African Police Service (SAPS), Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Station and the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC). After the South African Police Service arrested the informant, the informant reportedly saw a Swazi license plate matching the description of one of the vehicles in the garage shown in a previous issue of the Times of Swaziland and called the police.
Acting quickly on the intelligence, Luhozi police raided Ezulwini’s garage and discovered the hidden car.

investigation

The cars found included a Ford Ranger, BMW X3, BMW 320 and Renault. This publication has confirmed the identity of the suspects but cannot reveal it as investigations are ongoing. Investigations by the Royal Swaziland Police Service (REPS) revealed that the cars found in the garage were allegedly hijacked in South Africa and smuggled into the country. The cars are currently being stored at the Lobamba police station. The garage owner confirmed that the cars were towed away by the police on suspicion of being stolen. He said the cars were brought to the garage some time ago.

He explained that the cars were brought to him to have their engines and gearboxes fixed. When asked if he knew the cars were stolen, he said he knew nothing and was just helping customers with their cars. The garage owner explained that he did not ask if the cars were stolen when he was helping his customers. He also mentioned that he called the owners of the cars to ask what had happened and they said they would go to the police themselves. In the initial operation, the team of officers from the South African Police Service received information about a syndicate that was suspected of hijacking and stealing cars in South Africa and smuggling them into Swaziland. Based on this intelligence, the team raided a house in Kebler Park, south of Johannesburg. Upon arrival, police are said to have also found four vehicles in the yard: a Toyota Fortuner that was allegedly hijacked in Jep, an Isuzu pickup truck that was hijacked in Heidelberg, a tampered BMW and a Land Rover Discovery.

The findings were said to be crucial in linking the vehicles to the hijacking operation. Meanwhile, Acting Police Commissioner Information and Communications Officer Assistant Superintendent Nosipho Mnguni confirmed that four vehicles were found in Ezulwini’s garage and investigations are ongoing. During the arrest of the suspect by the South African Police Service, various tools and documents pointing to the group’s operations were found in the house where he was found. Police found multiple Swazi license plates, car registration documents from Swaziland, homemade Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) and templates used to print VINs.

project

These items are reportedly crucial in determining the extent of illegal activity. In a statement released by the South African Police Service, Lieutenant Colonel Masondo said a 37-year-old man, identified as liSwati, who was inside the house at the time, was arrested and charged with possession of a hijacked motor vehicle. Lieutenant Colonel Masondo said more arrests would be made as investigations continue. In another case a week ago, an exchange of fire took place in Shewula when members of the Umbutfo Eswatini Defence Force (UEDF) recovered four vehicles with South African registration plates that were being smuggled into Mozambique. The vehicles are a white Toyota Prado (license plate CTJ 015 MP), a white Toyota Fortuner (license plate KXN 571 MP), a white Prado (license plate KVF 938 MP) and a maroon Toyota Legend (license plate KNF 329 MP).

It is said that the suspected persons involved in the hijacking group in South Africa, Swaziland and Mozambique fled the scene, leaving evidence behind. Meanwhile, around March, soldiers guarding the border found two cars, one a Toyota Prado worth EGP 600,000 and the other a Toyota Fortuner worth EGP 600,000. Both cars had South African license plates and were allegedly smuggled into the country. The duo, Mciniseli Matimba (48) from Siyendle and Vusi Jele (45) from Zombodze, were arrested by soldiers when they tried to drive into the country. One car (Prado) had been smuggled into the country as it was found near Sidwala. It was stolen on March 22, 2024, while the Fortuner was stolen on March 24, 2024 and found near West Kunusa.