Mpumalanga traffic officers and a South African Police Service member arrested a 31-year-old motorist at Mjejane, near Hectorspruit and Komatipoort, on Wednesday 14 February 2024.[1] The officers were working at a vehicle control checkpoint when they saw a white Toyota Corolla overtake on a barrier line and ordered it to stop, but it sped off.[1] A high-speed chase ended on Coopersdal Road, where the officers cornered the car; Lowvelder put the arrest at about 17:50.[2] The car carried false registration number plates.[1]

Six large bags of dagga were loaded on the back seat and in the boot.[1] Police said the bags were marked with specific names and addresses, and that preliminary investigation showed they were destined for Gauteng.[1] The dagga and the Toyota Corolla were seized for further investigation.[1] The driver was charged with reckless and negligent driving and with dealing in dagga, the charge the republished account on News365.co.za also carried.[3] He was due to appear in the Komatipoort Magistrate’s Court on Friday 16 February 2024.[1]

At the time of publication the outcome of that court appearance was not known.[2] Mpumalanga police commissioner Lieutenant General Semakaleng Daphney Manamela commended the officers for their collective effort in the arrest and the confiscation of the dagga.[1] The account came from provincial police spokesperson Colonel Donald Mdhluli and was republished the same day by News365.co.za.[1]