THE Zimbabwean police at Beitbridge yesterday intercepted a consignment of guns being smuggled into the country in a Chipinge-bound hearse that was carrying a cavader.
Four men, who were among the mourners and the crew transporting the hearse, were arrested at the Port Health Authority Bay at the Beitbridge Border Post, where the discovery was made during a routine inspection.
A team of plainclothes policemen combed the hearse and every item in it after the discovery.
Police sources involved in the search yesterday told NewsDay that investigations were ongoing.
National police spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi said he was waiting for confirmation from Beitbridge at the time of writing.
However, NewsDay has it on good authority that the police discovered 10 boxed new firearms and were eager to interview the person who was expected to receive the guns either in Chipinge or Chiredzi.
It is understood a team of policemen has already left Beitbridge for Chipinge or Chiredzi, where the firearms were supposed to be delivered.
Police took the guns for ballistic tests amid claims the new pistols were air guns that may not require licences or classification as firearms.
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“What is most surprising is why there were no declaration of the same and why they were seemingly concealed in the hearse,” the sources said.
Yesterday’s incident was not the first to be recorded at Beitbridge Border Post after a similar one was recorded in March this year.
According to reports, the police seized an arms cache from a bus headed for Harare including 30 pistols, 30 empty magazines and 1 700 rounds of ammunition which were smuggled from South Africa into Zimbabwe aboard a cross-border bus.
Zimbabwe has been grappling with rising cases of gun violence and smuggling of weapons for years, with firearms often finding their way into the hands of criminals, exacerbating security concerns in the region.
Law enforcement agencies have reiterated their commitment to cracking down on arms trafficking.
Furthermore, authorities have called on the public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activities or information related to firearms trafficking.
Zimbabwe has been rocked by armed robberies where firearms have been used.
In Beitbridge, a group of youths used airpistols bought from a local shop to rob their victims before they were arrested and jailed in 2016.
Four years later, a hearse driver was arrested on the South Africa side of Beitbridge carrying explosives in his vehicle.
