Mpumalanga police arrested Bhekithemba Simelane, 43, a national of Eswatini, for dealing in dagga on Tuesday, 20 February 2024.[1] Simelane was a passenger in a Toyota Quantum minibus taxi stopped on the N2 Piet Retief-Pongola Road.[1] Officers from the Mahamba port of entry, a border crossing into Eswatini, were carrying out routine stop-and-search duties when they pulled the taxi over.[1] During the search police found dagga weighing 3.922 kg wrapped around Simelane’s body.[1] News24 described the dagga as wrapped around his waist with packing tape and gave the weight as 4 kg in its opening line.[2] Police said preliminary investigation showed he was travelling to Vryheid in KwaZulu-Natal.[1]

He was arrested and charged with dealing in dagga.[1] Simelane made his first appearance in the Piet Retief Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday, 21 February 2024.[1] He was remanded in custody, with his next appearance set for 6 March 2024 for a formal bail application.[1] The Post, an IOL title, gave the same account attributed to Mpumalanga police spokesperson Captain Magonseni Nkosi, also putting the dagga at 3.9 kg.[3] News24 attributed the account to provincial police spokesperson Brigadier Selvy Mohlala, who said Simelane would remain in custody until his next appearance on 6 March.[2] Simelane appeared in court on Wednesday, 21 February, and was remanded in custody until 6 March 2024.[2]

Mpumalanga police commissioner Lieutenant General Semakaleng Daphney Manamela welcomed the arrest and said Mpumalanga routes should never be mistaken for illicit activity.[1] Dagga is the South African name for cannabis; the South African Police Service described the substance as dagga in its account of the stop.[4]