JOHANNESBURG, Feb.13 (Xinhua) -- South African police on Thursday said they were probing two women who were nabbed for being in possession of explosives in Thohoyandou estimated to be valued 1.2 million rand (about 80,000 USD).
Limpopo Hawks' Serious Organised Crime Investigation team said, the Zimbabwean women aged 27 and 41, were arrested on Wednesday night after a tip-off.
"The team received a tip-off about two women from Zimbabwe who were in possession of explosives destined for Gauteng," said Captain Matimba Maluleke of Hawks, South Africa's Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation which targets organized crime, economic crime, corruption, and other serious crime.
Maluleke told Xinhua that it was unclear how the women travelled from Zimbabwe with the weapons.
"The suspects were arrested as they were about to board a bus to Gauteng. Explosives, emulsion blasting cartridges and case fuses with the estimated street value of over 1.2 million were seized," Maluleke said.
Law enforcement agencies are still in the dark about what the explosives would be used for and if the women worked with men.
"It's subject to investigating as to where they were going to in Johannesburg and what were they going to be using these for. Explosives are used to blast rocks at the mine, used to bomb ATM's and other things but we don't want to speculate," he said, "organized crime is serious and it's obvious they were not working alone. We also want to know how they crossed the border."
The suspects were expected to appear in the Thohoyandou Magistrate's Court on Thursday on charges of unlawful possession of explosives and contravention of the Immigration Act.
