Ethel Malatji 
Five South African National Defence Force (SANDF) members, including a female soldier, will be hauled before the Musina Magistrate’s Court on Thursday after being arrested in connection with a syndicate linked to illicit cigarettes.
The soldiers, aged between 26 and 42, were arrested alongside two undocumented Zimbabwean nationals in a joint sting operation conducted by the SAPS Limpopo Beitbridge Task Team and Military Intelligence on Tuesday.
The group faces a string of charges, including corruption, possession of illicit cigarettes, unlawful discharge of a firearm, and defeating the ends of justice.
According to police, the soldiers allegedly colluded with smugglers at Artonvilla, along the first Malaladrift road near the Limpopo River. Shots rang out during the operation, forcing the smugglers to flee and abandon 24 boxes of illicit cigarettes. Investigators later uncovered six boxes hidden inside a temporary military camp.
Limpopo police commissioner Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe lauded the coordinated operation, warning that corruption in the country’s defence ranks will be dealt with harshly.
“Law enforcement will not tolerate corruption involving members entrusted with national security,” she said.
The suspects are expected to make their first court appearance on Thursday.
