Zim driver flees, as fish worth over K1.3m vanishes while transit

The Zambia Police Service has initiated a comprehensive investigation following the disappearance of a high-value transit cargo consisting of 1,335 boxes of horse mackerel fish. Valued at approximately US$75,525—translating to over K1.3 million—the consignment vanished under suspicious circumstances while moving across regional trade corridors. According to law enforcement authorities, the transit vehicle was journeying from Namibia towards the bustling Kasumbalesa border post in Chililabombwe District when the incident unfolded. Copperbelt Province Police Commissioner Rae Hamoonga confirmed that the transport vehicle, bearing Namibian registration numbers, was under the stewardship of a Zimbabwean national. Investigators established that the freight movement timeline spanned from mid-August up until the 25th of the month, at which point the driver abruptly ceased responding to communications from his employers and logistics coordinators. By the following afternoon, the abandoned truck and its empty trailer were located near a local filling station in Kasumbalesa, stripped entirely of the fish cargo while the driver was nowhere to be found. Preliminary findings by security wings suggest a well-coordinated cargo heist, pointing towards a potential syndicate operating across national borders. The Kasumbalesa border zone, known for its immense commercial traffic and bustling trade activities between Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo, frequently presents unique security challenges for long-haul logistics. Law enforcement agencies are currently reviewing border crossing logs, toll data, and intelligence networks to track the movement of the stolen fish and apprehend the principal suspect alongside any potential accomplices. This incident highlights ongoing vulnerabilities within cross-border supply chains across the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region. Transporters and logistics firms utilizing the Walvis Bay-Ndola-Lubumbashi development cor