Two Zimbabweans arrested and convicted in SA for illicit cigarettes

by Thys Khiba
0 comments
court sentenced fraud

By Thys Khiba – Two Zimbabwean nationals have been convicted and sentenced for possession of illicit cigarettes and illegal immigration by the Giyani Specialised Commercial Crimes Court.

Former police officer sentenced to 10 years imprisonment

saps

This comes after the Giyani Court concluded PhathisaniKhumalo (27) was sentenced to five years imprisonment or a fine of R1 million rands for possession of illicit cigarettes valued at over 2 million.

Meanwhile, Victor Sithole (24) was sentenced to two years imprisonment or a fine of R5000, for illegal immigration.

On 30 September 2022, the police of the Limpopo Flying Squad Unit found an Isuzu truck along the N1 road, which was offloading illicit cigarettes to another small vehicle. They searched the truck and found 141 master boxes of Remington Gold cigarettes covered with Lucerne grass.

Khumalo was the driver of the truck and Sithole was just a passenger. Khumalo took the responsibility for the cigarettes and declared Sithole innocent,” said Mashudu Malabi-Dzhangi.

IN COURT:

In mitigation of the sentence, the defence lawyer submitted that the accused person is a first-time time offender, pleaded guilty as a sign of remorse, and they have been in custody since September 2022.

He further told the court that the 27-year-old is married with three children, is a breadwinner and can only afford a fine of R100 000.  

Meanwhile, the 24-year-old is not married but has two minor children.

The vehicle that was used for offloading and 141 master boxes of Remington Gold cigarettes are forfeited to the state, and the accused are also declared unfit to possess a firearm.

The state Adv. Phumudzo Mudau told the court that the Khumalo and Sithole have been convicted of very serious offences which are very prevalent within the court’s area of jurisdiction.

According to Mudau, the two were not remorseful, and he has a watertight case against them.

Mudau used the value of illicit cigarettes and difficulty of apprehending offenders who commit offences of this nature as another element to strengthen his argument.

He believes that a serious message should be sent to potential offenders by imposing a harsh sentence.

The court also heard that illicit cigarettes destroys South African local economy and contributes to the shedding of jobs.

 

—————————————————————

DO YOU HAVE A NEWS STORY OR AN OPINION FOR CENTRAL NEWS: E-mail us : newsroom@centralnews.co.za or Whatsapp us on 0833989119

Related Articles

Leave a Comment

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Accept