R2m Truck Busted! Limpopo Police Nab Driver Hauling R300k Illegal Chrome

Police in Limpopo have impounded a white Sitrak horse-and-trailer truck valued at about R2 million after it was allegedly caught ferrying chrome estimated at R300,000 without the required paperwork.

The interception took place along the R518 in Lebowakgomo on Saturday morning, 21 February 2026, at around 10am. Members of the Lebowakgomo Crime Prevention Unit carried out the operation, which led to the arrest of a 52-year-old driver.

Authorities said the vehicle, along with two blue trailers, was loaded with chrome at the time it was stopped.

Truck Driver Arrested After Failing to Produce Legal Documentation

Police spokesperson Colonel Malesela Ledwaba confirmed that officers acted on reliable intelligence regarding a truck suspected of transporting precious minerals within the Lebowakgomo policing area.

“The vehicle was stopped and searched. Police discovered that the truck and its two trailers were fully loaded with chrome. When requested to provide legal documentation authorising the possession and transportation of the chrome, the driver failed to do so. He further indicated that the chrome had been loaded from an illegal mining site at Atok Village,” said Ledwaba.

The chrome is believed to have a street value of approximately R300,000.

Police seized both the mineral consignment and the truck. The suspect is scheduled to appear before the Lebowakgomo Magistrate’s Court on Monday, 23 February 2026.

Hawks Secure Forfeiture of Vehicles and Cash in Limpopo High Court

In a separate development, the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, commonly known as the Hawks, has secured forfeiture orders involving several assets linked to criminal cases across the province.

According to Hawks provincial spokesperson Captain Lethunya Mmuroa, the Limpopo Division of the High Court in Polokwane granted orders for the forfeiture of five vehicles and more than R400,000 in cash following investigations by the Polokwane-based Hawks Asset Forfeiture Investigation unit.

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“The acting provincial head of the Hawks in Limpopo Province, Brigadier Desmond Alexander, applauded the Hawks Asset Forfeiture Investigation and the National Prosecuting Authority’s Asset Forfeiture Unit for successfully securing orders for vehicles used as instrumentalities for various crimes,” Mmuroa said.

Mmuroa added that the vehicles were confiscated during operations conducted in Nebo, Makhado, Beitbridge port of entry, Pienaarsrivier and Mogwadi.