Seven arrested for possession of explosives after crossing Beitbridge border from Zim

Seven people were arrested after they entered South Africa from Zimbabwe in alleged possession of illegal explosives.

The six men and one woman entered the country through the Beitbridge border post at Musina in Limpopo on Thursday evening.

"They were already in the country and on their way to Gauteng when police pulled their suspicious-looking car over. They were stopped in their tracks and the car was stopped and searched," police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Moatshe Ngoepe said.

Ngoepe said police also confiscated 50 fused caps and 10 blasting cartridges. He added that the origin of the explosives was not immediately known.

"It is believed that this might be part of a bigger syndicate [involved in] business and armed robberies where, in some instances, safes are blown up by the explosives. But the ongoing police investigations will tell."

The seven people, aged between 32 and 39 are expected to appear in the Musina Magistrate's Court soon.

They are charged in terms of the Immigration Act and face charges of possession of illegal explosives.