BELFAST – Two male suspects, aged 30 to 35, appeared in the local Magistrate’s Court yesterday on charges of possession of suspected stolen property as well as unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition. They were linked to crimes in Thulamahashe which took place earlier that day. These included an armed robbery during which shots were fired, and the bombing of an ATM.
The suspects were nabbed on the N4 on Saturday at around 22:00 by members of the Flying Squad. The members had been patrolling the N4 around Entokozweni (Machadodorp) when they spotted a suspicious-looking BMW and signalled the driver to stop. Instead of doing so, he sped off, with the cops in hot pursuit. The driver of the vehicle eventually gave up and came to a halt near Belfast. To the authorities’ surprise, six men jumped out and fled with bags in their possession.
The police managed to corner and arrest two of them. Four pistols with their serial numbers filed off, together with a shotgun, were found in their possession. Police also seized explosives, bomb cables, an undisclosed amount of cash, three cellphones and groceries.
According to the provincial spokesman of the SAPS, Col Leonard Hlati, the suspects are believed to be involved in another robbery that occurred earlier on the same day at a retail shop in a shopping complex in Thulamahashe near Bushbuckridge. In this particular robbery, the group of heavily armed men entered the shop and held shoppers at gunpoint while firing shots. Shortly after the commotion, a nearby ATM exploded and an undisclosed amount of cash was taken.
According to Hlati, the suspects looted the shop before they left, taking groceries, cigarettes and a computer connected to the CCTV cameras. A taxi driver who was next to the ATM, was held at gunpoint, and was forced to the ground. The suspects allegedly hijacked his minibus taxi as a getaway vehicle.
Both suspects were remanded in custody and the case was postponed to Monday, October 20 for a formal bail application.
The suspects are also expected to appear in the Mhala Magistrate’s Court soon, facing charges of business robbery, malicious damage to property and hijacking.
The SAPS have launched a manhunt for the remaining suspects and urge anyone with information that could lead to their arrest, to contact Det Const Sello Kamela on 078-356-2484 or Crime Stop on 086-001-0111.
