A 36-year-old man, Mthobisi Mkhatswa, is set to return to the Ventersdorp Magistrate’s Court on Thursday, 04 September 2025, for a bail application following his arrest last week on charges of possessing illicit cigarettes with an estimated value of R4.5 million. Mkhatswa made his first court appearance today after his arrest on Wednesday, 27 August 2025. The arrest occurred at a Ventersdorp weighbridge where traffic officials, having identified that his truck was overloaded, conducted an inspection of the vehicle’s load. Upon inspection, the officials discovered the cargo was not ordinary freight but 350 boxes of illicit cigarettes, identified as Chief and Sahawi brands. The estimated street value of the confiscated contraband is R4.5 million.
Following the discovery, the South African Police Service (SAPS) were immediately summoned to the scene. The truck driver, Mkhatswa, was arrested on the spot for possession of illicit cigarettes. Both the truck and the entire consignment of cigarettes were seized by authorities.
