Woman caught smuggling truckload of buckets across the Limpopo

A 26-year-old woman from an apostolic sect, Beauty Chauke, was arrested on 22 October 2025 for attempting to smuggle a truckload of empty plastic containers across the Limpopo River.

Chauke, from Mbedzi suburb, was dressed in her church robes at the time of the arrest. Authorities intercepted 130 x 20-litre buckets, 100 x 5-litre buckets, and 120 x 50-litre drums, all empty but imported from South Africa under suspicious circumstances.

Chief Superintendent Mesuli Ncube, officer commanding Beitbridge, said the arrest formed part of Operation No to Cross Border Crimes Phase 19. "These items were being moved unlawfully, and their importation contravened customs regulations," he noted.

Chauke was accompanied by Rutenda Charezva, 41, of Dulibadzimu, who attempted to smuggle a bale of 50 blankets. Both suspects were taken to the Zimra Beitbridge Border Post, where the goods, valued at R10,500, were seized.

Authorities reiterated that the festive season crackdown on cross-border smuggling would continue, emphasizing that no one, regardless of background, would be exempt from enforcement measures.