Smuggling of goods across the Zimbabwe-South Africa border has become rampant, with smugglers working hand in glove with security service personnel from both countries.
Several unofficial crossings have reportedly been opened on a number of points along the Limpopo River, defying lockdowns to control the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus in both countries.
The officer commanding Beitbridge Police District, Superintendent Tichaona Nyongo revealed that police are conducting investigations after a truck carrying groceries was intercepted at one of the crossing points. He said:
We are holding a truck with a variety of groceries suspected to have come through one of those points.
Reports indicate that dozens of small and medium-sized trucks and several spans of donkeys are being used to transport the contraband across the Limpopo River.
Smugglers buy goods in bulk from shops in Musina for resale in Zimbabwe.
Several reports also claim that South Africans cross the border into Zimbabwe to buy beer which remains banned in the country since it imposed a lockdown last month.