Three Emalahleni men appear in court after armed robbery
The number of firearms recovered by the police is increasing and provincial commissioner of the police in Mpumalanga, Lieut Gen Mondli Zuma lauded the police for their commitment to the fight against crime.
EMALAHLENI – Three of the five men arrested on charges of possession of unlicensed firearms and of suspected stolen vehicles, and charges of armed robbery appeared at the Witbank Magistrate’s Court yesterday.
This follows their arrest over the weekend in Emalahleni in separate incidents. The three are alleged to have robbed patients at a medical practice at gunpoint. According to reports, they allegedly made off with the patients’ cellphones and an undisclosed sum of money. As they fled the scene, an off-duty police officer apprehended two of the men. The officer reportedly confiscated the firearm and a stolen cellphone during the arrest.
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In the second incident, police acted on a tip-off about an alleged meeting to plan an armed robbery in Extension 8. A shoot-out ensued between ten armed men at the house and the police. A police officer was wounded during the gunfight and one of the conspirators were shot and killed on the scene. Three would-be robbers were arrested and four firearms confiscated which included an R5 rifle, a revolver, two pistols and five vehicles. It was ascertained that three of of the cars were stolen in Gauteng, with the remaining two robbed in Emalahleni.
Another firearm was seized at the crime scene yesterday after a confession by one of the suspects. Two 25-year-old suspects, identified as Vusi Nkosi and Nazared Maseko appeared in court in relation to the shoot-out. They were remanded in custody and will appear in court on Monday pending a bail application.
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A manhunt has been launched for the remaining six suspects. Anyone with information which may lead to their capture is asked to contact Col Solomon Thobejane on 079-891-3342 or to call the SAPS Crime Stop number, 08600-10111.
The provincial commissioner of the police in Mpumalanga, Lieut Gen Mondli Zuma welcomed the arrests and lauded the police for the increasing number of firearms seized. This number has increased to 18 since last week Thursday. Zuma appealed to community members to continue cooperating with the SAPS in order to create a safe and secure environment.
