Tanzanian man arrested at Groblersbrug with 450 kg of dagga
South African border police at Groblersbrug in Limpopo arrested a 58-year-old Tanzanian man after finding 19 bags of dagga weighing around 450 kilograms in his Toyota Hilux as he tried to cross into Botswana. SAPS estimated the street value at R1,890,000 and confiscated the car, worth over R400,000.
🇿🇦 Groblersbrug border post, Limpopo · South Africa
Members of SA Police Service’s border policing unit in Limpopo arrested a
58-year-old Tanzanian man for attempting to smuggle dagga at the Groblersbrug
port of entry linking South Africa and Botswana.[1]Police had received a
tip-off about a Tanzanian man allegedly trying to transport dagga across the
border, driving a white Toyota Hilux with Gauteng registration numbers.[1]
The vehicle was stopped and searched at the checking point, where 19 bags of
dagga weighing around 450 kilograms were found, with an estimated street value
of R1,890,000.[1]The Toyota Hilux, worth over R400,000, was also confiscated
as part of the ongoing investigation.[1]The Tanzanian man was detained at
Witpoort police station in Limpopo, and the 19 bags of dagga were confiscated.[1]
He was set to appear before the Phalala Magistrate’s Court in Limpopo, facing
charges of dealing in dagga.[1]
Photos and video
Police handout of the 58-year-old Tanzanian man arrested at Groblersbrug while driving a Toyota Hilux loaded with bags of dagga. Photo: SAPSPhoto details
IOLiol.co.zaPICS: Bid to leave South Africa with dagga worth R2 million gets Tanzanian man arrested in Limpopo
Open questions the AI reported
No exact date was given for the interception; the SAPS statement said it happened Saturday evening and 29 April 2024 was the publication date, so the incident is placed on 27 April 2024.
The account says the man was travelling from South Africa and heading to Tanzania, while the photos describe the direction as into Botswana, so the route's endpoint is not fully certain.
No plea or court outcome was reported; the man was due before Phalala Magistrate's Court facing charges of dealing in dagga.
The 450 kilograms is a reported figure ('weighing around 450 kilogrammes'), not an exact measured weight.
A near-identical News365 account reproduces the same SAPS statement and is not independent reporting of the arrest.
Mpumalanga police arrested six people during Safer Festive Season operations in the Gert Sibande District on 10 and 11 November 2026, seizing dagga worth about R50,000. A further suspect fled on foot after abandoning a white sedan carrying five bags of dagga on the N2.
Police stopped a red SUV on the R81 road at Ximuwini near Malamulele and found 14 plastic refuse bags of dagga, which Limpopo police valued at an estimated R662,400. The 55-year-old driver was detained at Malamulele Police Station and was due in the Malamulele Magistrate's Court on 9 November on a charge of dealing in dagga.
Police and private security arrested a driver after a high-speed chase from Sinoville to Bon Accord in Pretoria on 7 November 2026. Officers seized 240kg of dagga with an estimated street value of R960,000 from the vehicle and confiscated the vehicle.
Mpumalanga police stopped a 39-year-old man from KwaZulu-Natal in a white Nissan NP200 at Mahamba before dawn on 3 November 2026 and found 30 rolls holding 158.2 kg of compressed dagga, which they valued at R1 million. He was charged with dealing in dagga and was expected in the Mkhondo Magistrate's Court on 5 November.
