NELSPRUIT - Three suspects were arrested for being in possession of dangerous weapons on Tuesday, 16 August 2022 at Nhlazatshe in Elukwatini.

Their arrest came after police in Elukwatini were called to a scene where two groups of youth engaged in a violent fight at Nhlazatshe Crossing Shopping Centre. It is alleged that when preparing for the fight, they went to a nearest hardware store to buy knives and Pangas.

Police responded to the group hostility and managed to arrest three suspects while the others fled the scene. They were charged for possession of dangerous weapons.

The three arrested suspects, Bonginkosi Nkosi (18), Ntethelelo Masina (20), and Innocent Mkhwanazi (18) appeared at the Chief Albert Luthuli (Eerstehoek) Magistrate’s Court yesterday, Wednesday 17 August 2022, facing the said charges. The three were granted a bail of R500 whilst the case was postponed until 01 September 2022 for further investigation.

In a separate incident later in the day in the same vicinity, at Nhlazatshe 4B, two women were reportedly raped and robbed of their items. No arrest have been made as yet. Police are still investigating and working hard to establish if the two incidents are related or not. Police urge anyone with information that can lead to the arrest of the remaining suspects to contact Detective Captain Richard Sithole at 060 808 9495. Alternatively members of the public can call the Crime Stop number at 08600 10111 or send information via MySAPS App. All received information will be treated as confidential and callers may opt to remain anonymous.

The Provincial Commissioner of the SAPS in Mpumalanga, Lieutenant General Semakaleng Daphney Manamela has welcomed the arrest and condemned the incident. " The country look up to the youth for a better tomorrow, our young people should refrain from such activities and focus on their future. They should not involve themselves in crime. Criminal activities will narrow their chances of progress in life" warned the General.

Source: South African Police Service