The collage shows one of the smugglers, the Toyota Quantum vehicle and the smuggled bullets
Mashudu Netsianda, Senior Court Reporter
THE High Court has granted bail pending trial to six men from Bulawayo who were arrested last month while allegedly trying to smuggle bullets worth R42 855 into the country through the Beitbridge Border Post.
The men are facing smuggling and illegal possession of ammunition charges. It is suspected the ammunition belonged to a Mr Clive Connelly of Tongogara Street in Bulawayo.
Bulawayo High Court judge Justice Maxwell Takuva granted Njabulo Nxumalo (31) of Mpopoma, Nkosana Bhekinkosi Makuyana (30) of Old Pumula, Mthabisi Ncube (23), Francis Ncube (32), Patson Siziba (41) as well as Deejay Sibindi (30) all of Pumula South $100 bail each.
The judge ordered them to reside at their given addresses; report twice a week at Bulawayo Central Police Station and not to interfere with state witnesses as part of the bail conditions.
The six men were arrested by detectives while travelling in a South African registered Toyota Quantum as they were about to leave the border post.
The applicants, through their lawyer Mr Zibusiso Ncube of Ncube and Partners, said the State case was weak and argued that if granted bail they would not abscond.
Nxumalo said he was willing to offer a limited plea of guilty to smuggling while the other five said they were only innocent passengers who were not aware of the consignment.
The suspects appeared before Beitbridge magistrate Mr Innocent Bepura who remanded them in custody before advising them to apply to the High Court for bail.
It is alleged that on June 23, the accused arrived in the country from South Africa through Beitbridge Border Post using the Toyota Quantum.
The vehicle, which was being driven by Nxumalo, was towing a trailer that was loaded with an assortment of goods.
While at the border post, they went through immigration formalities and later declared to the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra) that they were carrying bicycles spares.
They managed to hoodwink Zimra officials who let them pass the red route search bay. They ran out of luck when alert security officials stopped them as they made their way out of the border post area.
A search of the vehicle was conducted leading to the discovery of several boxes of an assortment of bullet cartridges weighing 130 kilogrammes which were concealed under other goods.