By A Correspondent- Over 300 suspects were on Thursday rounded up around Beitbridge border post and highways leading to both the Zimbabwean and South African sides during an all-female operation by security forces dubbed “Basadi”.

Basadi refers to women in South Africa’s Sepedi language spoken in Limpopo, Mpumalanga and Gauteng provinces.

The simultaneous operation was conducted by female members of the police force and army from the two countries. It complements Zimbabwe’s operation, “No to cross-border crimes” and another in South Africa dubbed “Thatha Zonke” (Take everything).

National police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi said strategic deployments were made at most crime hot spots, targeting various cross-border crimes, including stock theft, theft of telecommunication electrical batteries, and entry or exit by evasion, among others.

“We are not relenting in our quest to bring sanity along the border with South Africa, where some criminal elements want to turn into their playground,” said Asst Comm Nyathi.

“We have resorted to collaborating with other security agents and our counterparts in South Africa to ensure that we don’t give the cross-border criminals breathing space.
“In the operation launched on Thursday, we managed to make cumulative arrests of 314 people.”

The suspects were arrested for possession of the stolen property, possession of illicit cigarettes, traffic offences and violating Covid-19 regulations, among others.