Maputo — The Mozambican police seized 18 Toyota minibuses, all without number plates, on Friday night in the central province of Manica, reports Monday's issue of the Beira daily paper "Diario de Mocambique".

The 15 seater minibuses had come from Durban, in South Africa, via Zimbabwe, and their destination was given as Beira.

The suspicions of the police were aroused by the fact that not one of the minibuses bore a number plate, and they were being driven late at night (the seizures were made at 23.00). "If they've come from South Africa, they ought to have South African number plates", said the head of the police public relations department in Manica, Pedro Jemusse.

The Mozambican police feared that the mini-buses may have been stolen. They have been parked at the Manica provincial police command, while contacts are made with the South African police and with Interpol to confirm the legality or otherwise of the vehicles.