SA Police intercept Toyota Corolla Cross stolen in Pretoria, arrest Zimbabwean and Malawian men
Two foreign nationals were arrested in Limpopo after police intercepted a Toyota Corolla Cross GR that had been reported stolen in the Pretoria CBD and was allegedly being smuggled toward the Zimbabwean border.
The SAPS Limpopo Tracking Team, working with Shadowsecure Security, Tshimollo Security and Investigation, and Tracker SA, launched an anti-smuggling operation on Sunday after receiving intelligence that the vehicle was travelling from Gauteng towards the Beitbridge port of entry along the N1.
The vehicle, valued at around R600,000, was spotted on the N1 North near the Mall of the North in Polokwane. Officers stopped it and confirmed through preliminary checks that it had been reported stolen in Pretoria Central.
Inside were two men — a 38-year-old Zimbabwean and a 43-year-old Malawian — who were arrested on a charge of possession of a suspected stolen motor vehicle.
Police said the pair are expected to appear in the Polokwane Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, 2 December 2025.
Meanwhile, Limpopo provincial police commissioner Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe praised the swift collaboration between police, private security and other partners, saying such coordinated operations continue to disrupt vehicle smuggling networks targeting cross-border routes.
In August, IOL reported that the Polokwane Regional Court sentenced 40-year-old Simon Andile Nyathi to 15 years imprisonment for theft of a motor vehicle and contravention of the Immigration Act.
At the time, Ledwaba said Nyathi was arrested in May 2024 near a fuel station situated along N1 freeway.
“Members of the Limpopo provincial tracking team, in collaboration with Mighty Security, and Tshimollo Security and Investigation, received positive information about a stolen vehicle, a silver Isuzu double cab,” said Ledwaba.
“The vehicle belonged to the SAPS crime intelligence unit, and it was reported stolen in Soshanguve, Gauteng province, on 2 May 2024.”
When the vehicle was recovered, police arrested Nyathi and charged him with theft of a motor vehicle and contravention of South Africa’s Immigration Act.
