PHALABORWA – After months of investigations and searching for suspects linked to a house robbery and kidnapping in Makhushane village, police have arrested one of the three suspects, while the hunt for the remaining two continues.

Tebogo Vincent Moraba (45) was arrested in Praktiseer, Burgersfort, on Thursday, September 10, during an operation involving members of the Mopani Tracking Team, supported by Namakgale detectives and the Tubatse Task Team.

Police said the arrest followed information that led the team to an address in the Praktiseer area.

The Makhushane incident

The arrest relates to an incident in Makhushane village on Saturday, May 10, when a woman was allegedly held hostage by three armed suspects who demanded money.

According to police, the woman was allegedly forced to lure a relative to the area under false pretences. When the relative arrived, the suspects allegedly confronted and robbed the victim of a licensed firearm and money before kidnapping the victim.

The victim was later taken to Phalaborwa, where money was allegedly withdrawn from an ATM before being released.

Items recovered

During the operation, police recovered:

• An unlicensed 9mm pistol with four rounds of ammunition
• Several items suspected to be stolen
• A car previously reported stolen in Marble Hall, together with its keys

Further search operations conducted on Friday, September 11, resulted in the recovery of:

• 28 R4 rifle rounds
• 25 9mm rounds
• One R4 magazine
• Three 9mm magazines

A jacket suspected to be linked to the Makhushane robbery and kidnapping was also recovered.

Court appearance

Moraba appeared before the Namakgale Magistrate’s Court on Monday, September 14, facing charges relating to the unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition, possession of suspected stolen property, and other charges linked to the investigation.

His case was postponed to Thursday, September 22, for further police investigations.

Members of the community who may have information that could assist the investigation are urged to contact investigating officer Sgt Matome Malatjie on 064 508 3650, Crime Stop on 08600 10111, their nearest police station, or on the MySAPS app.