Truck driver appeared in court for illegal transportation of chrome

POLOKWANE- Brighton Mutandani (37) appeared in the Praktiseer Regional Court on 06 February 2023 for allegedly transporting chrome without a permit and contravening the Immigration Act.

As the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation continue to fight the scourge of illegal mining in the province, a sting joint operation between the Hawks’ Serious Organised Crime Investigation and Crime Intelligence was conducted on the evening of 02 February 2023. During the operation, a suspicious tipper truck was spotted driving in the area and it was stopped and searched.

The truck was found fully loaded with chrome for which the driver could not produce a permit for and he was immediately placed under arrest. Further investigations revealed that the driver did not have legal documents to be in the country.

The estimated value of the seized items (chrome and tipper truck) is R650 00-00. Mutandani was remanded in custody until 10 February 2023 for formal bail application.

The Provincial Head of the Hawks in Limpopo Province, Major General Gopz Govender has since congratulated the team for the good work performed. “We look forward to conducting more operations to deal with illegal mining problem and our presence will be felt”, said General Govender.

Source: South African Police Service