Malalane community bands together to outwit bandits
No amount of dodging and running could save them, and after more than four hours the burglars were finally caught.
A band of burglars was apprehended after the Malalane Community Police Forum (CPF) and SAPS worked together to track it down.
Malalane CPF received a phone call during the early morning of Thursday April 2 after a farm worker had come across a small band of burglars along his path to his workplace, in the bush next to the road. The burglars immediately turned on him and he fled, fearing for his life. He called his employer, who raised the alarm.
SAPS, security companies and a few community patrol members were immediately deployed to the scene near Fish Eagle Bend, Malalane. The suspects had by then left part of their haul and taken flight. The responders gave chase and started tracking, and surrounded the cane fields into which they had fled.
For next few hours, the hapless burglars tried their best to escape the cane fields, first heading towards the Malalane taxi rank, then making for the N4, and finally retreating to the railway. They were blocked at every turn, with every avenue of escape covered by either Hi-Tech, MBM or Securicon security members.
The community patrol members kept watch from the edges, and kept those in the chase, including SAPS, continually informed of the whereabouts of the criminals.
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Finally, after more than four hours of constant fleeing and dodging through the cane fields, the first burglar was cornered in a settlement four kilometres west of town. As SAPS implemented the arrest, the farm worker was able to confirm that this was indeed one of the original burglars that had attacked him.
All the stolen goods, including electronics, computers and electrical tools were recovered. As they ran, the burglars also discarded layers of clothing to obscure their identity. This was to no avail, as the garments were all found.
The other members of the band of thieves were arrested during the subsequent hour. The successful operation and arrest was made possible by the cooperation between the security companies, with each contributing their own unique set of skills and manpower to the situation.
Along with a constant rotation of community patrol members and farmers ensuring outside coverage, perseverance ensured that a much-reviled group of professional burglars were caught.
Col Skhumbuzo Khandawire, station commander of Malalane SAPS, thanked the community for their indispensable contribution and commitment. He also reminded those that had been blindly running through the bush that the stray lions had not yet been found by the parks agency personnel, and complimented them on their bravery.
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