SA Revenue Service officials have nabbed a man for allegedly attempting to smuggle 23 pieces of gold into South Africa.
A 33-year-old Zimbabwean man was arrested at O.R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg on Saturday with smuggled gold worth R11 million (over K560 million) South Africa’s.
The unnamed man flew into the airport with the 23 pieces of gold which he did not declare.
The Hawks say “he did not have any permit or licence to be in possession to transport gold.”
“The traveller was requested to scan his luggage at international arrivals Customs section of the South African Revenue Service (SARS) where 23 pieces of gold were found in his luggage… The Hawks were called to effect the arrest and further investigate. The 23 pieces of gold worth R11 million were seized for further investigation,” a Hawks statement said.
The man will appear at the Kempton Park Regional Court on Monday facing charges of contravening the Customs Act 91 of 1964 and Precious Metals Act 37 of 2005 respectively News24 reports
In October last year, Henrietta Rushwaya, the president of the Zimbabwe Miners Federation, was nabbed at the Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport in Harare with 6kg of gold in her handbag just before boarding a flight to Dubai. In her bail application, Rushwaya told the court that she had picked the wrong bag.
The gold was worth US$366,000.
