POLOKWANE: A 56-year-old man from Zimbabwe received a thirteen-year prison sentence from the Polokwane Commercial Crimes court for violating the Immigration Act and for possessing illegal cigarettes on Wednesday (20 May 2026).
The court learned that the Provincial Tracking Team received a tip-off regarding a white Ford Ranger bakkie suspected of transporting illegal cigarettes from Musina to Gauteng Province on Wednesday, 11 February 2026, around 20:30.
In response to the information, the operational team located and stopped the vehicle on the R516 road in the Tuinplaas policing area. A search of the vehicle revealed 36 master boxes of Remington Gold cigarettes hidden inside.
Toni Nathaniel Gumbo, the driver of the white Ford Ranger bakkie, was arrested at the location for possessing illegal cigarettes valued at approximately three hundred and sixty thousand rands (R360,000).
The court issued sentences for two specific charges:
1. Count one (1) – Possession of illicit cigarettes – five (5) years of direct imprisonment.
2. Count two (2) – Contravention of Immigration Act – eight (8) years of direct imprisonment.
Furthermore, the sentences for counts one and two will be served consecutively.
Gumbo is set to serve a total of thirteen (13) years in prison, and the vehicle used in the commission of the crime has been confiscated by the state.
