Day: September 12, 2022

NELSPRUIT – Three suspects aged between 33 and 40 were arrested in separate incidents for carjacking, kidnapping, murder, house robbery, business robbery, as well as possession of unlicensed firearm with ammunition and they could possibly be linked to stock thefts and business robberies.

In the first incident, a 33-year-old and 40-year-old suspects were arrested on Friday, 09 September 2022 at about 23:00, after police in Siyabuswa received information about a white Isuzu bakkie which was reported stolen in Giyani.

Police acted swiftly and closed in on possible escape routes and spotted the suspected stolen vehicle next to Moutsiya Mall (in Siyabuswa area) with two occupants.

Suspicions are that the suspects were from Giyani (in Limpopo Province) and were heading to Mamelodi (in Gauteng Province).

Police then stopped and searched the vehicle which matched the description of the stolen vehicle. A firearm with ammunition were recovered and further investigation revealed that the vehicle was hijacked where a case was opened at Letsitele SAPS near Giyani. Additional charges of kidnapping as well as murder (of a 40-year-old victim) were opened and are linked to the hijacking incident.

In a separate incident, Siyabuswa police were doing their routine patrol duties on Saturday, 10 September 2022, at about 08:00am when they noticed a suspicious white Toyota pickup with bullet holes visible on the passenger door and rear window.

When police approached the vehicle, the driver sped off. Police pursued him until he was cornered on the road towards Waterval and Ga Mmakola. When the suspect, aged 35, was searched, a live round of ammunition was found. Further investigation led police to Toitskraal (in Siyabuswa) where they recovered a silver grey VW Polo Vivo which was reported stolen in September this year (2022) during a house robbery incident in Troya (Vaalbank).

The suspect was arrested for possession of live ammunition and could possibly be linked to other cases including, stock theft, business robberies and burglaries around Siyabuswa and Vaalbank as the Toyota pickup is suspected to have been used in the commission of such crimes prior to his arrest.

The Provincial Commissioner of the SAPS in Mpumalanga, Lieutenant General Semakaleng Daphney Manamela welcomed the arrests and recovery of the vehicles, firearm and ammunition. The General unreservedly applauded the commitment displayed by the members.

Source: South African Police Service

WESTERN CAPE – Khayelitsha Regional Court sentenced Phaphama Rubu to 22 years in prison after a lengthy trial during which his co-accused succumbed to death.

The two were arrested after a group of nine suspects violently attacked a tavern in Enkanini informal settlement, Khayelitsha in February 2015. They robbed patrons of their belongings and stabbed them using knives and pangas, brutally murdering the owner of the establishment in the process. Detective Constable Nkululeko Ngabayena of Harare SAPS managed to trace the 27-year-old suspect and the deceased, and they were arrested and charged.

On 09 September 2022, Rubu was sentenced to 15 years for murder, of which three were suspended and 10 years for robbery aggravated and attempted murder.

Source: South African Police Service

CAPE TOWN – Five suspects between the ages of 20 and 30 are expected to appear in court on Tuesday, 13 September 2022 in Wynberg following their arrest on Saturday afternoon, 10 September 2022, on charges of conspiracy to commit a kidnapping, possession of a prohibited firearm and ammunition as well as fraud.

Alarm was raised with Lansdowne police on Saturday afternoon by an Ottery businesswoman, a Chinese national, about a vehicle that had been following her since she left her business premises. Police promptly responded and subsequently stopped the vehicle with the five suspects. In their vehicle they discovered a prohibited firearm whose serial number had been filed off and rounds of ammunition. Upon further searching the vehicle, Lansdowne police also found vehicle licence plates that did not match the disk displayed on the vehicle.

As part of ongoing investigations into this case and other similar cases, organised crime detectives are hard at work trying to determine if the arrested suspects can be linked to other crimes.

Communities are urged to report suspicious activity or crime to the police by calling the Crime Stop number 08600 10111. For extortion related complaints communities are advised to utilise the SAPS Western Cape toll-free number 0800 314444.

Source: South African Police Service

DUTYWA – Dutywa police are seeking community assistance in locating 45-year-old Mawethu Thamsanqa. According to information received by police he disappeared on Sunday, 28 August 2022 at about 10: 00.

Allegations are he was taken in his home by an unknown man driving a taxi and never returned. It is further alleged the taxi dropped him off at Mputi Village, Dutywa. Police searched the area without success.

Police are appealing to anyone with information to contact Dutywa police at 047 489 2369 or Crime Stop on 08600 10111 or the nearest police station.

Source: South African Police Service

DURBAN – Durban Central police’s swift response to a business robbery resulted in the arrest of five suspects who were found in illegal possession of firearms and stolen property.

On 09 September 2022 at 17:30, four men armed with knives and firearms, entered a shop on Stamford Hill Road. They robbed the employees of cigarettes, cell phones and an undisclosed amount of cash before they fled the scene. Durban Central police responded swiftly to the report of robbery and arrested four men as well as the driver of the getaway vehicle.

The five suspects aged between 20 and 28, were found in possession of the stolen items. They are expected to appear before Durban Magistrate’s Court today for unlawful possession of firearms and possession of stolen property.

Source: South African Police Service

FICKSBURG – The Welkom Public Order Police were activated to attend an incident of mob justice at Meqheleng where the community was reportedly assaulting a 46-year-old man who was accused of killing his wife. Police immediately attended the scene where the man was apprehended.

On Friday, 09 September 2022 police received a call from about a group of community members who were assaulting a man near Meqheleng Stadium. The members quickly responded to the complaint and upon arrival at the scene, rescued the suspect from a group of 40 angry community members who accused him of assaulting his wife, Mrs Malefu Kgabela. A case of assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm was opened against him however, his wife later succumbed to her injuries in hospital. To case has been changed to murder.

The suspect is expected to appear before the Ficksburg Magistrate’s Court today facing charge of murder.

Source: South African Police Service

NELSPRUIT – A 30-year-old suspect, accused of fatally hacking a suspected intruder who peeped through his rented room’s window in the early hours of 11 September 2022, is expected to appear before the Belfast Magistrate’s Court, tomorrow, 13 September 2022.

In reaction to the unexpected incident, it is said that the suspect allegedly grabbed an axe, hacking the victim in the head. Police are currently investigating the circumstances which might have led to the brutal act. It is further alleged that both the victim and the suspect were somehow known as friends. It is also alleged that the two were earlier sitting together before the incident.

After the said incident, the Police as well as the Emergency Medical Service in Belfast were summoned to the said location where upon arrival, they found the victim lying on the ground with a wound on his head. The man was certified dead on the scene.

The Provincial Commissioner of the SAPS in Mpumalanga, Lieutenant General Semakaleng Daphney Manamela has condemned the brutal murder and urged community members to resolve matters in a civil manner rather than resorting to violence.

Source: South African Police Service