ZiMoja updates on the latest crime news in parts of the country.

LIMPOPO: Police in Limpopo have discovered a drug lab with drugs and processing machinery to the estimated value of R4 million at a village, through a joint operation involving the Limpopo Provincial Organised Crime Unit, Provincial Flying Squad, and Lebowakgomo SAPS. The drug lab was uncovered at Makotse Village in Lebowakgomo outside Polokwane on Sunday. Police spokesperson Brigadier Hlulani Mashaba said the operation resulted in the seizure of drugs and the arrest of three suspects, aged between 25 and 33. "The police discovered a significant quantity of mandrax at the suspect's residence and located a nearby drug manufacturing lab containing various chemicals and substances used in drug production," Mashaba said. He added that the SAPS forensic science laboratory has been alerted to investigate the drug lab further. He added that security measures will remain in place at the site until the investigations are completed. The suspects appeared before the Thabamoopo Magistrate's Court yesterday facing charges of possession and dealing in drugs and their case was postponed to next week Monday for formal bail application.

LIMPOPO: A 56-year-old female immigration officer stationed at Beitbridge Port of Entry in Musina and her accomplices briefly appeared in court yesterday on charges of corruption. The officer was arrested on Sunday during a sting operation by members of Operation Vala Mgodi on Sunday morning, where she was caught red-handed receiving money from foreign nationals. During surveillance, the police observed an individual approaching the immigration officer, leading to an exchange of money. Upon investigation, Brigadier Hlulani Mashaba said the officer was found in possession of R3 100, which she could not account for, as well as six passports belonging to foreign nationals. The owners of the passports were traced and located on buses arriving from Malawi, awaiting processing at the border. "All individuals, aged between 27 and 43, were interviewed and failed to provide satisfactory explanations regarding their passports and the cash found in the officer's possession. The Limpopo Provincial Anti-Corruption Unit was alerted, and both the money and passports were seized and registered as evidence," Mashaba said. The accused's case was postponed to next week Monday for formal bail application.

GAUTENG: A 21-year-old woman drug trafficker who was arrested at the OR Tambo International Airport on Sunday has so far released more than 110 drug bullets suspected to be cocaine. The young woman was profiled and intercepted as she was arriving on a flight from São Paulo, Brazil last Sunday morning. She was taken to a local hospital, where an X-ray confirmed that she was having foreign objects in her stomach. According to SAPS spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe, this is more than the average drug bullets that drug mules that are intercepted at the same airport usually carry."We are urging people not to go to extreme lengths to risk their lives, as this exercise can turn fatal. Police are also concerned about the involvement of young women in this type of criminality," Mathe said. The young woman is expected to appear before the Kempton Park Magistrate's Court today. 

GAUTENG: Three Zimbabwean nationals who are in the country illegally have been sentenced to two life terms each for two counts of murder by the Pretoria High Court yesterday. Edison Ngamiko (38), Amos Hassan Masiya (38), and Edron Panashe Chisanako (39) were sentenced for the murders of two girls and an attempted murder of their friend in February last year. The girls, aged 15, 16, and 23, approached the men at a tavern in Olievenhoutbosch and requested money from the trio to purchase alcohol.

The men gave them R60, including R20; the girls had requested to pay another man to accompany them home and the men initially gave them R40. NPA spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana said later that night, as the girls were leaving the tavern, the accused offered to accompany them; on their way, Chisanako demanded sex from the 15-year-old girl, who refused. "The 16-year-old reprimanded him; Chisanako shot the 16-year-old in the neck, and she immediately collapsed. He then shot the other two girls multiple times, leading to their deaths at the scene. A shot fired during the chaos hit Ngamiko accidentally," Mahanjana said.

She added that upon realising the 16-year-old was still alive, Ngamiko attempted to finish the job, but the firearm had run out of bullets; thereafter, they fled the scene. The surviving victim crawled home and reported the incident. The police discovered the two bodies of the deceased girls after patrolling the area that same night. A police investigation led to Ngamiko's arrest three days late at a hospital. Masiya was arrested on 9 October 2023 on unrelated charges but was later linked to the murder. After, he identified Chisanako, who was apprehended the next day. They trio were also sentenced to 10 years of direct imprisonment each for attempted murder and 12 months' imprisonment for being illegal in the country.