The 12 of the 13 armed men who were arrested following a foiled robbery and a shootout at a transport company in Apex Road, Benoni, on April 16 appeared in Benoni Magistrate’s Court on April 20.
The group of Zimbabwean nationals are facing six counts of attempted murder, three counts of robbery with aggravating circumstances, five counts of possession of an unlicensed firearm, two counts of possession of ammunition and 12 counts of being illegal in the country.
According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), one of the accused is in hospital after he sustained injuries when he fell off the palisade fence while trying to flee from police.
The police were alerted of the robbery and upon their arrival, it is alleged the accused started shooting at them.
NPA regional spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana said out of the 13 suspects, only one person is legal in the country, while two others allege they possess South African IDs. The Department of Home Affairs is still to confirm this.
The matter was postponed to April 26 for the accused to appoint a legal representative.
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