Two Zimbabwean Nationals Fined Heavily for Smuggling Cigarettes in South Africa
Two men from Zimbabwe have been slapped with hefty fines exceeding R400,000 for smuggling illegal cigarettes valued at R180,000.
Their sentencing took place on Tuesday in the Giyani Commercial Crime Court following their arrest during a police pursuit in Limpopo.
Thabani Sibanda, aged 32, and Nkululeko Ncube, 49, were apprehended on December 1, 2025, while transporting cartons of Remington Gold cigarettes in two white Toyota Corollas.
Colonel Malesela Ledwaba reported that law enforcement officials received a tip-off indicating the vehicles were making their way from Musina to the Tzaneen area.
The Limpopo Tracking Team, in collaboration with two private security firms, identified and followed the vehicles along the R36.
When police signaled for the drivers to pull over, both men accelerated towards the Tzaneen industrial zone.
Sibanda was sentenced to five years in prison or a fine of R300,000. Ncube received an identical five-year sentence with an alternative fine of R100,000.
Additionally, Ncube was handed a year in prison—or a R10,000 fine—after being found in South Africa illegally.
Both vehicles involved in the smuggling operation have been confiscated by the state, and the men have been deemed unfit to possess firearms.
Limpopo police commissioner Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe praised the rapid investigation and the court’s decisive ruling, noting that effective police work leads to timely resolutions in such cases.
