In yet another example of those entrusted with upholding the law being caught breaking the law themselves, five members of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) and two Zimbabwean nationals were arrested outside Musina last week on charges of corruption, possession of illegal cigarettes, the unlawful discharge of a firearm, and defeating the ends of justice.
The suspects were arrested on Tuesday, 16 September, during a joint operation by the SAPS Limpopo Beitbridge Task Team and Military Intelligence. "Their arrests followed an incident earlier that morning at Artonvilla, along the Malala drift road near the Limpopo River, where they allegedly conspired to intercept and steal a consignment of illicit cigarettes being smuggled into South Africa. During the operation, shots were reportedly fired, forcing the smugglers to abandon 24 boxes of illicit cigarettes. Six boxes were later found hidden inside a temporary military camp," said provincial police spokesperson Brig Hlulani Mashaba in a media statement. Only 18 boxes had been declared.
The South African National Defence Force confirmed the incident. "Preliminary reports indicate that, at approximately midnight on 16 September 2025, a group of SANDF members allegedly conducted an unauthorised operation at Artonvilla, Musina, (also known as Sediba sa Tlou base). It is alleged that the members, acting in concert with two Zimbabwean nationals, attempted to unlawfully intercept a group of smugglers transporting illicit cigarettes into South Africa. During the incident, shots were reportedly fired, illicit goods were seized, and some contraband was unlawfully concealed at the base," said the Department of Defence (DoD) in a media statement.
The seven accused appeared in the Musina Magistrate's Court on Thursday, 18 September. The five SANDF members were identified as Macdonald Tshabadira (28), Waydon Peterson (29), Khuliso Tshivhenga (42), Khodani Abel Maphukhumela (29), and Evah Maphuthi Modisa (39). The two Zimbabwean nationals are Livhuwani Mutavhatsindi (27) and Perfious Chauke (27). In addition to the charges mentioned above, the two Zimbabweans also face charges under the Immigration Act. "The five SANDF members were each granted bail of R5 000, while the two Zimbabwean nationals were remanded in custody without bail," said Mashudu Malabi-Dzhangi, the NPA regional spokesperson, in a media statement. The case was postponed to 14 November 2025 for further investigation. The two Zimbabwean nationals will remain in custody until their next court appearance.
Provincial police commissioner Lt-Gen Thembi Hadebe praised the swift and coordinated action of the law-enforcement teams, warning that corruption involving members entrusted with national security would not be tolerated. The DoD also stated that the incident was viewed in a very serious light. "Such conduct undermines the integrity of the Defence Force and the trust placed in its members by the Republic of South Africa. The SANDF will cooperate fully with SAPS, SARS, and other law-enforcement agencies to ensure that justice is served. The Chief of the SANDF has directed that internal disciplinary processes run concurrently with criminal proceedings, and the outcome of these processes will determine further administrative and command decisions," the DoD said in their statement, reiterating a zero-tolerance stance on corruption, smuggling, and misconduct within its ranks.
In the meantime, the Democratic Alliance (DA) has called for the immediate suspension of the five SANDF members. "It is high time that the security of South Africa's borders be correctly commissioned to the Border Management Authority, and not to the SANDF. The DA calls for all border safe-guarding functions to be transferred to the BMA, and for the BMA to be adequately funded, to make a clean break with these established syndicates once and for all," said Chris Hattingh, member of parliament and the DA's spokesperson on Defence and Military Veterans, in a media statement.
Hattingh said that the national problem that this case highlighted was that SANDF soldiers on the borders were poorly trained, poorly managed, and with a systemic breakdown in command, there had been a systemic breakdown in discipline too. "Soldiers who turn the border into a cashpoint betray the uniform and the Republic. The border lapse is not an isolated lapse. It follows other serious security failures at SANDF facilities, including an informal settlement on the premises of one base, and a cow kraal being allowed to enter the premises of another base," said Hattingh. He stated that the SANDF was compromising the integrity of the country's borders, and this had to end. "A dedicated border force, within a fully capacitated Border Management Authority, must be the solution," said Hattingh.