NELSPRUIT – SAPS Bushbuckridge arrested a 72-year-old female pensioner and her two sons, of which one is aged 46. The trio was arrested in connection with hijacking and murder of an off-duty traffic officer (Thabo Mashego, aged 35) at Saselani near Bushbuckridge on Friday night, 22 July 2022 around 21:00.

According to the report, on Monday morning, 25 July 2022 members from Visible Policing in Bushbuckridge received information regarding a suspicious vehicle parked behind a certain house. The car was further covered with a white cloth. Bearing in mind that police were hard at work in relation to a murder case in which the traffic officer was hijacked and brutally killed. The information led members to a house in Angincourt outside Bushbuckridge where upon arrival, they found an elderly woman as well as the vehicle.

At first, the elderly woman refused any knowledge of the vehicle however members were not derailed but continued and discovered that the vehicle was the VW Polo which was reportedly hijacked during the incident which took the life of the traffic officer.

Upon thoroughly checking the vehicle, members also discovered that the battery was removed and hidden inside the bedroom of the woman's 46-year-old son. The elderly woman and two of her sons were arrested for possession of suspected stolen vehicle. Police cannot rule out the possibility of adding more charges against the suspects and further link them to a hijacking and murder case.

The suspects are expected to appear at the Mkhuhlu Magistrate's Court soon, facing the said charges.

The Provincial Commissioner of the SAPS in Mpumalanga, Lieutenant General Semakaleng Daphney Manamela has welcomed the arrest of the three suspects. "Apart from collaborating with members of the community, chances of winning the war against crime becomes a mammoth task. We really appreciate the community for playing their role through sharing of information with the police who swiftly acted. We trust that justice will be served for the victim's family" said the General.

Source: South African Police Service