Explosives were found during a taxi stop near the Kraanskop toll plaza, which led to Matsek's conviction.
A 35-year-old Zimbabwean man has been sentenced to seven years in prison for illegally possessing explosives and being an illegal immigrant to South Africa.
Guezane Matsek appeared at the Modimolle regional court in Limpopo on Tuesday, where the sentence was handed down.
Matsek was handcuffed by the Waterbury Flying Squad last June.
arrest
Hawks spokesperson Colonel Katlego Mogale said Matsek's punishment stemmed from an incident on June 1, 2025, when members of the Waterbury Flying Squad stopped a taxi near the Kranskop toll plaza for a search.
“During the search, the police found a brown bag in the taxi, which contained explosives. After questioning the ownership, the culprit was identified. Inside the bag, 500 detonator caps, four reels of detonator cord and four V6 explosives were found.
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cit robbery
Mogale said Matsek was arrested and the case was referred to the Polokwane Serious Organized Crime Investigation (SOCI) unit of the South African Police Service's Priority Crime Investigation Directorate, also known as the Hawks, for further investigation, which led to the conviction.
“Maitsek was sentenced yesterday, 31 March 2026, to seven years' imprisonment for possessing illegal explosives and 12 months' imprisonment for being in the country illegally; both sentences are to run concurrently.”
He said members of the Serious Organized Crime Investigation Unit in Polokwane welcomed the sentence as they continue their fight against cash-in-transit robberies and other serious robberies.
CIT suspect arrested
In January, police arrested a suspected cash-in-transit (CIT) robber and recovered explosives that were being used to carry out robberies in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN).
The man was handcuffed by officers just after midnight in Inanda on Saturday, January 31, 2026.
KZN police spokesperson Colonel Robert Ntshunda said members of the Inanda Trio Task Team were patrolling the area of Ithendele Road and the M25 Kernik Ndlovu Highway when they spotted a white VW Polo parked on the roadside.
Netshiunda said officers approached the vehicle and upon searching it found explosives along with a detonator hidden in a backpack in the boot.
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