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Minister orders roadblocks investigation

by Whinsley Masara
06 Jul 2016 at 12:37hrs | Views
HOME Affairs Deputy Minister, Obedingwa Mguni intercepted a truck that was allegedly transporting more than 2,000 litres of smuggled fuel into the country along the Bulawayo-Plumtree Highway early Sunday morning

He has since ordered that police officers who were manning two roadblocks which the truck passed through be investigated

Mguni came across a Kia truck carrying 2,340 litres of fuel about 20 kilometres out of Bulawayo headed for the city at around 6AM on Sunday. He was also on his way to Bulawayo.

Alfred Moyo and Vusumuzi Dube, both from Plumtree were taken to Donnington police station by Mguni and were arrested.

The deputy minister yesterday told The Chronicle that he had since ordered that police officers who were manning roadblocks along that highway be investigated for suspected corruption after they allowed the smuggled fuel to pass through.

"We saw a truck that was swerving and was seemingly overloaded I ordered the truck to stop and discovered 78 by 30 litre containers of fuel, which had been smuggled into the country from Botswana. The two said they bought the fuel in Botwana and were bringing it into Bulawayo to be sold on the black market. I've heard of these people who usually move as a team with two other trucks, and I must say I'm glad to have finally met some of them."

Mguni said he was shocked that the two men nearly made it into Bulawayo yet there were a number of roadblocks on the road. "This shows that all our security systems are lax because how do people pass through a border and road blocks without being caught. We saw two heavily manned roadblocks on the way but these smugglers managed to pass through," he said

Mguni said he instructed the pair to drive to Donnington police station, where he handed them over to police.

"I tasked Donnington, Plumtree and Figtree police to investigate the matter right up to their point of entry which is Plumtree Border Post I was seriously disappointed by this incident, most of all, our security officers who are standing in dozens on the country's roads but not executing their duties which include putting an end to corruption" he said


Source - chronicle