By Charmaine Ndlela
The South African Police Service (SAPS) National Task Team (NTT), deployed in Emanguzi in the northern parts of KwaZulu-Natal to curb and combat cross-border crime, has secured another conviction of a vehicle smuggler.
The area is on the border of Mozambique.
Since April 2025, the task team has apprehended 96 suspects for various offences, confiscated 16 illegal firearms, including imitation weapons, and recovered 67 stolen vehicles, as well as one truck.
The Mtubatuba Regional Court this week sentenced 45-year-old Mpumelelo Cloud Goba after he pleaded guilty to the theft of a Toyota Fortuner valued at more than R700,000. The vehicle was stolen from a parking lot in Durban Central in August 2024.
Goba was handed an effective seven-year prison sentence, with half of the term suspended for five years on condition that he is not convicted of a similar offence during that period.
The vehicle, which had been fitted with fraudulent registration plates, was intercepted en route to Emanguzi, where it was due to be handed over to another individual for smuggling into Mozambique.
Goba was arrested and charged with motor vehicle theft. Investigators opposed his bail application in the Hluhluwe District Court, ensuring he remained in custody until his case was transferred and finalised at the Mtubatuba Regional Court.
Authorities say the sentence highlights the Emanguzi Task Team’s firm resolve and continued efforts to decisively tackle cross-border crimes, particularly the smuggling of stolen vehicles from South Africa to neighbouring countries such as Mozambique.
The Task Team said it remains committed to intensifying operations in northern KwaZulu-Natal and surrounding areas, with a focus on crimes including vehicle theft and smuggling, robbery, carjacking, illegal possession of firearms, murder, attempted murder, and related violent offences.
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