Zimbabwean police in the Masvingo area believe they made a breakthrough in their fight against crime when they nabbed four South African residents along the Beit Bridge-Harare Road, who were allegedly driving a stolen bus, belonging to a South African company.

Local police spokesperson Insp Phibion Nyambo said the suspects were driving towards Harare, en route to a yet-to-be-disclosed destination.

The four, whose ages police could not ascertain immediately, are Vincent Samuel Mabhena, John Luhleko, Silas Masilo and Johanese Makubheko Ajopie. Ajopie was driving the stolen bus - a Scania Marco Polo model.

The suspects were arrested last week on Thursday night, at the 10 km peg along the Beit Bridge-Harare Road, raising questions on how they had pacified both Zimbabwean and South African officials at the Beit Bridge Border Post. "We arrested four South Africans whom we suspect were driving a stolen bus. In fact, we recovered a faked affidavit on them, alleged to have been signed by the SAPS, that they needed to pass through the Beit Bridge border post, authorising them to pass through Zimbabwe. We are, however, yet to find out where exactly the suspects were taking the bus, but we suspect the bus was being taken to either Malawi or Zambia and we are still investigating," said the police spokesperson.

According to Nyambo, the suspects were intercepted by two police officers who were on highway patrol, after receiving a tip-off. "They were approached by a certain Thomas, who happens to be a manager with the South African Bus Company where the bus was stolen.” He then told the police that he had received a call from his director in South Africa, informing him that their bus had been stolen in South Africa on October 15 and, coincidentally, Thomas had seen the bus at a local Exor Service station along the Harare-Beit Bridge Road," he said.

The two police officers then drove along the highway in pursuit of the bus and eventually managed to stop the bus at the 10km peg along Beit Bridge-Harare Road. On being questioned, the four failed to account for the bus and could not give a satisfactory explanation to the police, leading to their arrest. It was discovered that they had fake documents, which they were using as clearance from the police in South Africa, and fake bus documents.

The police confiscated the bus and the four suspects are now in police custody while police are communicating with their Interpol counterparts to facilitate their extradition.