“The Customs Man’

BOOK EXTRACT

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Chapter 39 Border of Zimbabwe 20 August 2009 FOK monitored the movements of the Freightliner using the GPS tracking device installed in the truck while it was still under customs detention. The truck left Pretoria and returned to the warehouse in Masvingo. Two days later, it collected a container from ZimChi Tobacco Corporation and headed towards the border. The goods were delivered to a farm on the Zimbabwean side of the Limpopo River.

“The skelms are going to walk the cigarettes across the river,” mumbled Skollie to his analyst. He contacted Dove and Tallis. “I’m sending the coordinates of the farm they made the delivery to on the Zim side. They’re going to walk it across. We need to track the cigarettes on the South African side. They won’t use the same rig.”

“Would he like that with a slice of apple pie as well?” asked Tallis.

“I think he’d rather prefer chikenduza,” replied Dove, referring to the Zimbabwean cupcake. “Local is lekker.” “I’m getting too old for this sh*t,” mumbled Tallis. “How are we going to follow them across the river without being noticed?”

Dove shook his head, “We don’t. Allow me to teach you some old-school investigative techniques.” They left the lodge where they were staying, a thirty-minute drive from the Beit Bridge border, stopping to buy water, cigarettes, fried chicken and doughnuts before locating the farm using the coordinates provided by Skollie. Dove manoeuvred the four-wheel drive slowly into the dense Mopane woodland, which provided enough cover and allowed them to keep the entrance gate in sight.

“Now we wait.” Dove had been trained as a sniper in the army and waiting had become second nature to him.

A brown Hino lorry turned the corner and slowed down as it approached the group of people sitting in the sun. They occasionally smacked themselves, much to the amusement of work. Before the lorry could reach them, some began running towards it in desperation.