MPUMALANGA – Mpho Mdaka (33) and Mandla Shabangu (51) appeared in the Kwamhlanga Magistrate’s court on Thursday, 12 August 2021 for allegations of theft of PUTCO bus tickets after they were arrested by members of the Hawks Serious Organised Crime Investigation team during a disruptive operation at Kwamhlanga on Wednesday.
It is alleged that on Wednesday at about 10:00 members of the Middelburg Serious Organised Crime Investigation team conducted an intelligence driven operation on suspects identified for stealing blank PUTCO bus tickets from Spar in Kwamhlanga. They would then print them and distribute them to unsuspecting passengers.
The unlawful activities of the two arrested suspects have been linked to other syndicates previously arrested for the same crime in the area between March and May 2021.
The suspects were released on R1000 bail each and the case was postponed to 6 September 2021 for further investigation.
Source: South African Police Service
