A 29-year-old South African woman was arrested near the Gwanda area in Zimbabwe for allegedly selling sugar without a trading licence after illegally entering into the country through Beitbridge border post, police said.

Zimbabwean police spokesperson in the Matabeleland South province, Insp Tafanana Dzirutwe, said the suspect was arrested last Friday, 20 July, at a roadblock while traveling at night in her car, a Toyota Corolla.

"We arrested the suspect, who is a South African, at a road block, following the interception of her car. On searching the car, we found a huge consignment of sugar hidden inside the boot, which she intended to sell without an authorised licence. We then seized it and subsequently arrest her," he said.

Sugar is among the essential commodities which are scarce in Zimbabwe, following a recent price slash order by the government.

"The woman illegally entered Zimbabwe through the Beitbridge border post, as she did not have a passport and we suspect she simply walked through the border without presenting herself to the immigration officials and then drove all the way to Gwanda, were we eventually arrested her after the interception of her car," Dzirutwe said.

He said the woman would soon appear in court on charges of contravening a section of that country’s Immigration Act, before she is subsequently deported back to South Africa through Beitbridge border post.