The suspects were driving stolen vehicles to the Beitbridge border post when a specialised police team swooped on them.
Smugglers have been nabbed with counterfeit clothing and illicit alcohol cargo at the country’s ports of entry over the past week.
The Border Management Authority said it prioritises law enforcement activities at all ports of entry.
Twenty-eight citizens of Bangladesh were intercepted on arrival at OR Tambo International Airport.
The new recruits will beef up the Border Management Authority’s teams across all the country’s ports of entry.
For improved logistics, an empty donkey cart was hauled upside down by another, for its next illegal consignment.
The construction of a new 25km wall along South Africa’s border with Mozambique will halt the movement of stolen vehicles and goods.
Homemade wooden bridges used for illegal crossings of the Limpopo River were successfully dismantled during the operation.