When a G4S armoured vehicle was robbed of R5.8m in Senotlela on February 1, 2021, no one would have thought policemen were allegedly involved.

The police sergeant, George Phaahla, and former constable, Zachariah Magopa (41), appeared in the Vaalbank Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday, December 18. They faced armed robbery charges relating to the cash-in-transit heist that happened more than three years ago.

An unknown number of suspects used high-calibre firearms to attack the cash-in-transit vehicle. The Middelburg police’s Organised Crime Investigating Unit probed the matter.

“During the investigations, two police officers from Vaalbank Police Station were identified as having allegedly been involved in the heist,” said the Hawks provincial spokesperson, Colonel Dineo Lucy Sekgotodi.

She said further investigations revealed that Phaahla allegedly used a state vehicle to allegedly collect firearms from KwaMhlanga and handed them to Magopa.

“These firearms were used to attack the G4S armoured vehicle and both officers were arrested. They both made confessions of their involvement in the crime,” said Sekgotodi.

“The vehicles used to commit the crimes were recovered,” added Sekgotodi.

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Magopa was later allegedly found in possession of an undisclosed amount of cash believed to have been part of the loot. The police arrested a third suspect, Bongumusa Jele, in KaNyamazane. The three appeared in the Vaalbank Magistrate’s Court on February 11, 2021.

They appeared in court again on several occasions until the matter was struck off the roll on August 25, 2021.

“The matter was struck off the roll due to outstanding forensic reports,” explained Sekgotodi.

As investigations continued, all the forensic reports and other outstanding matters were obtained. The docket was handed to the public prosecutor resulting in the rearrest of Phaahla and Magopa this week.

Magopa was arrested in Siyabuswa and detained at the Vaalbank holding cells on Tuesday, December 17. Phaahla was arrested while at his workplace yesterday, Wednesday, December 18.

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The two were remanded in custody during their court appearance yesterday because their alleged partner in crime, Jele, was not present since he is detained at the Witbank prison for another CIT heist. Jele was charged while in prison for the reinstated charges.

All three accused are expected to appear in the same court on Friday, December 27.

Magopa was dismissed from the South African Police Services during an internal disciplinary hearing in 2021.