State entity, the Border Management Authority (BMA), says its highly advanced Vehicle Targeting System has been a useful tool in tracking and intercepting the smuggling of stolen, bank-financed and cloned vehicles at borders across the country.
In a prominent case, North West businessman Suliman Carrim and his two co-accused are facing charges of cross-border vehicle smuggling, fraud and uttering, after two of his bank-financed vehicles were intercepted at the Beitbridge Border Post in Limpopo.
The vehicles were allegedly destined for Malawi.
The BMA’s Vehicle Targeting System is an automated scanning process and technology-driven way of tracking and intercepting stolen vehicles at the borders.
It scans every vehicle that passes through the country’s borders to verify its profile. The BMA says the process has helped its officials to reduce border crime and the smuggling of vehicles.
“The manner in which the system works is as follows: when a vehicle approaches the port, a number plate recognition camera installed at the main gate analyses its registration number. The system checks whether the vehicle is cleared to proceed. It also checks whether the vehicle is financed; if it is, the owner must present a letter issued by the finance company authorising them to cross the border with the vehicle .”
Masiapato says over 80 stolen vehicles have been intercepted at the borders between April and October 2026, and some of them were still under bank finance.
“So far, we have intercepted more than 83 vehicles that were not authorised to cross the border. In many cases, individuals presented fraudulent letters purportedly issued by banks to obtain permission to cross the border with the vehicles. Those individuals were arrested and handed over to the police for further investigation. The system has also helped BMA officials intercept trucks carrying explosives and drug manufacturing substances earlier this year.”