Man (20) arrested for smuggling 11 people into SA

A TWENTY-YEAR-OLD man was last week jailed for 18 months after he was intercepted by police at Beitbridge Border Post while attempting to smuggle 11 illegal immigrants into South Africa.

Prince Ndlovu was intercepted on January 21 while driving a South African registered Toyota Quantum carrying four adults and seven children.

Ndlovu was convicted on his own plea of guilty to facilitating illegal migration when he appeared before the border town's resident magistrate Miss Gloria Takundwa.

Ndlovu was left with 18 months effective to serve after the magistrate conditionally suspended six months of the sentence for five years. Prosecutor Mr Jabulani Mberesi said Ndlovu went to the border post at around 7 pm driving a South African registered Toyota Quantum which was carrying 11 illegal immigrants.

He said among the illegal immigrants were four women and seven minors.
Mr Mberesi said while at the border post Ndlovu went through all the immigration and customs procedures, after which he proceeded to the exit gate enroute to South Africa.

He was intercepted by detectives from the Border Control Unit, who then requested to see the passengers and his travel documents.

It was established that Ndlovu had collected a total of R5700 from the border jumpers as payment for facilitating their migration to South Africa.

Ndlovu was subsequently arrested and the R5700 was also recovered from him.
The illegal immigrants were also fined $20 for exit by evasion.