Five men briefly appeared in Kempton Park Magistrate’s Court on Monday following their arrest over the weekend in connection with the multi-million Rand armed heist at OR Tambo International Airport on March 7.
The police broke their silence about the latest developments in a statement issued by the national office. This followed various media reports over the weekend.
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The five men, including a police officer, were remanded in custody for a formal bail application on March 28 and 29. They are facing a charge of armed robbery.
“It is regrettable and at the same time pleasing to note that, among the five people arrested over the weekend, a member of the South African Police Service was among them. This affords us the opportunity to take appropriate action against our own,” the statement read.
“We wish to reiterate our stance as the South African Police Service that there is no place for corrupt or criminal elements in our organisation and this arrest sends a strong message that we will continue to investigate without fear or favour.”
Two other men arrested within a week of the armed robbery are due to appear in Kempton Park Magistrate’s Court for a second time later this week. They had been granted R50 000 bail each.
The police team tasked with investigating the armed robbery, including members of the Hawks, were commended on their commitment to ensuring that the perpetrators were arrested and brought before the courts.
“Items of evidence seized by the police during the course of the investigation will be presented in court during the trial of the accused. Our investigations are continuing and information gathered, including the roles played by individual accused, will also be court-directed.
“We congratulate the team on their hard work, a combination of intelligence gathering and old fashioned detective work. Their efforts have culminated in the recent arrests and court appearance of those allegedly involved in the ORTIA robbery which we view as a serious security breach at a national key point,” said the acting national commissioner, Lieutenant General Khomotso Phahlane.
The South African Police Service expressed its disappointed that information and photographs apparently peddled to the media over the weekend were published.
“We ask that our investigators be allowed to continue with investigations and that credible information be sourced from court proceedings. Those who seek to compromise police investigations should not be afforded the opportunity to do so.
“As the South African Police Service, we wish to place it on record that we understand and respect journalists’ mandate as a watchdog for society. However, soliciting information illegally from members who are involved in the investigation is noted with serious concern.
“We are looking into the matter to establish which of our members are leaking information to various media houses. This is not assisting us in any way with regards to the ongoing investigation. The publishing of articles should not be to the detriment of our investigation and will not be condoned,” Phahlane added.
