Thabani Sibanda, 32, and Nkululeko Ncube, 49, were arrested on 1 December 2025 while transporting cartons of Remington Gold illicit cigarettes in two white Toyota Corollas. Two foreign nationals have been hit with combined fines of more than R400,000 for transporting illicit cigarettes worth just R180,000, following their arrest during a police chase in Limpopo. The Giyani Commercial Crime Court delivered the sentences on Tuesday after Thabani Sibanda, 32, and Nkululeko Ncube, 49, were arrested on 1 December 2025 while transporting cartons of Remington Gold illicit cigarettes in two white Toyota Corollas.
Colonel Malesela Ledwaba said police received intelligence that the vehicles were travelling from Musina to the Tzaneen policing area. The Limpopo Tracking Team, working with two private security companies, traced the vehicles and spotted them along the R36. When officers attempted to stop them, both drivers sped off towards the Tzaneen industrial area.
A high-speed chase ensued before officers intercepted both vehicles near a filling station. They were found loaded with illicit cigarettes, and Sibanda and Ncube were arrested at the scene. The case was transferred to the Limpopo Provincial Investigation Unit and assigned to Sergeant Chuene Mokwele.
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During the investigation, Mokwele discovered that Ncube was in South Africa illegally. He was additionally charged under the Immigration Act. The pair first appeared in the Tzaneen Magistrate’s Court on 2 December before the matter was moved to the Giyani Commercial Crime Court for plea and sentencing on Tuesday.
Sibanda was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment or a fine of R300,000. Ncube received the same five-year sentence, with an alternative fine of R100,000. Ncube was further sentenced to one year in prison — or a R10,000 fine — for being in the country illegally.
Both vehicles used to transport the cigarettes were forfeited to the state, and the men were declared unfit to possess a firearm. Limpopo police commissioner Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebewelcomed the swift investigation and court outcome, saying cases can be “successfully and speedily finalised” when officers conduct thorough work.
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