Two South African citizens have been detained in the southern Mozambican province of Inhambane, after their light aircraft made an illegal landing on the country's main north-south highway between the districts of Vilankulo and Inhassoro.

According to a report reaching here Thursday from Mozambican capital of Maputo, the two people, identified as Benjamin Thuizo and Gerard van Aarde, are currently being held in Vilankulo district prison on suspicion of drug trafficking.

Their single motor aircraft landed on the highway on Aug. 22 and were arrested after local people contacted the police.

The allegation is that the plane was waiting to pick up a cargo brought in from the coast, and that the goods concerned might have been illicit drugs.

The unnamed sources say this is not the first time this plane has been in the area. On earlier occasions, it was seen loading fish and unidentified "other products", carried to the plane in a vehicle belonging to an Inhassoro businessman (whom the paper did not name).

The general commander of the Mozambican police, Custodio Pinto, confirmed the seizure of the plane and the arrest of the two South African pilots. But he declined to give any further details.

(Xinhua News Agency September 8, 2006)