Zimbabwean Loses R446,000 Cash And Toyota Fortuner Seized In SA After Failing To Explain Money’s Origin

Zimbabwean National Loses R446,000 and Toyota Fortuner After Failing to Explain Cash to SA Authorities

A Zimbabwean man has lost R446,000 in cash and a Toyota Fortuner after he failed to explain the source of the money to South African police during a routine search on the N1 highway.

High court orders seizure of vehicle and cash

The Limpopo High Court granted a forfeiture order in late July 2025 for the cash and the SUV after both were seized during a stop-and-search operation in Musina earlier in the year.

According to Warrant Officer Lethunya Mmuroa, spokesperson for the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks), the seizure followed a joint operation by the Hawks’ Asset Forfeiture Investigation (AFI) unit and the National Prosecuting Authority’s Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU).

“This emanates from the arrest conducted by members of the South African Police Service attached to Musina in 2024. On 4 July 2024, police conducted a stop and search operation along the N1 road in Musina,”
said Mmuroa.

The Zimbabwean was travelling in a Toyota Fortuner when officers searched the vehicle and discovered a plastic bag containing South African banknotes under blankets in the boot.

“Police interviewed the driver, and he failed to give a clear explanation for carrying the large amount of money inside the vehicle,”
Mmuroa explained.

The man was arrested on the spot and the money was confiscated. The Toyota Fortuner was also impounded.

Asset forfeiture completed after court processes

The matter was investigated by the Hawks’ AFI unit and later handed over to the NPA’s AFU. A preservation order was granted in February 2025. The forfeiture order was finalised last week, according to Mmuroa.

“The cash was deposited into the Criminal Asset Recovery Account on 29 July. The forfeited Toyota Fortuner is about to be sold on auction,”
he said.

The forfeited amount of R446,000 is approximately US$24,500 (US$24,500), while the SUV’s auction value is yet to be determined.

Separate case saw arrest for money laundering

In a separate incident earlier this year, a 49-year-old man was arrested near Komatipoort in Mpumalanga after being found with R1.2 million in mixed currency, including Mozambican banknotes. The arrest was part of Operation Vala Umgodi.

Provincial police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Jabu Ndubane confirmed:

“The man was nabbed on 16 March 2025 at Tonga View. The police received information about a person allegedly in possession of an unlicensed firearm. When officers searched the premises, they found large sums of money hidden under a bed and in a wardrobe.”