Thursday 18 September 2025 – The arrest of five South African National Defence Force (SANDF) soldiers accused of conspiring to steal illicit cigarettes has laid bare the rotten corruption eating away at our borders, Tax Justice South Africa (TJSA) warns today.
“These arrests are a wake-up call,” said TJSA founder Yusuf Abramjee. “Our borders, which are meant to protect South Africans, have become playgrounds for criminals. When soldiers are accused of hiding contraband in their own camps, it shows organised crime is not just knocking at the door, it’s already inside.”
The five SANDF members, including a female soldier, were arrested on Tuesday, during a joint operation by the SAPS Limpopo Beitbridge Task Team and Military Intelligence. Two undocumented Zimbabwean nationals were also detained.
All seven suspects, aged between 26 and 42, are expected to appear before the Musina Magistrate’s Court today (Thursday, 18 September) on charges of corruption, possession of illicit cigarettes, unlawful discharge of a firearm and defeating the ends of justice.
The suspects allegedly conspired to intercept and steal a consignment of illicit cigarettes being smuggled into South Africa at Artonvilla, near the Limpopo River. Shots were reportedly fired, forcing smugglers to abandon their contraband, some of which was later discovered hidden inside a temporary military camp.
Abramjee said the case underlines the dangerous stranglehold of the illicit cigarette trade, which robs South Africa of R30 billion a year.
“Every time law enforcers turn into lawbreakers, it strengthens the criminal cartels and weakens our nation,” Abramjee said. “This cannot be swept under the rug. The authorities must ensure a transparent investigation, swift prosecutions and tough sentences. South Africans deserve soldiers who protect them, not criminals in uniform.”
The incident comes less than a month after a crooked cop was jailed for eight years by the Polokwane Specialised Commercial Crimes Court after he used a marked state vehicle to escort smugglers transporting illicit cigarettes through his policing area.
-ends-