Five suspects accused of robbery were remanded in custody when they appeared in the KaNyamazane Magistrate’s Court on Monday, September 8.

The case against Hlungwane Senzo Surprise (21), Sakhile Shongwe (30), Salim Milazi (21), Ntando Mathenjwa (19) and Sifiso Mashaba Nkalanga (24) was postponed to September 16 for further investigation.

The suspects face multiple charges, including robbery with aggravating circumstances, pointing of a firearm, possession of suspected stolen property, and possession of unlicensed firearms and ammunition. Additional charges may still be added.

The five were intercepted and arrested along the N4 near the KaNyamazane turn-off on Saturday, September 6, shortly after the police received a tip-off that they had been involved in a church robbery in Ngwenyeni near Komatipoort in the early hours of the same morning at around 03:30.

The information coincided with another robbery the night before, in which patrons at a tavern in the nearby Madadeni Village were robbed of cash and cellphones. During the church robbery, congregants were robbed of handbags, cellphones, cash and other items.

“During that incident, a 14-year-old congregant was injured when the suspects fired shots. He was taken to hospital for medical treatment,” said the Mpumalanga police spokesperson, Brigadier Donald Mdhluli.

Mdhluli said the Mpumalanga Provincial Anti-Hijacking Task Team and Dog Unit acted on the tip-off that the suspects were travelling in a blue VW Polo along the N4.

The VW Polo in which the suspected church robbers were travelling.“The Polo was spotted and intercepted by SAPS members. The vehicle and its five occupants were searched and a bag containing numerous cellphones, a laptop and cash was recovered. These items are believed to have been stolen during the two robbery incidents. Police also seized three 9mm pistols with ammunition,” he said.

Police have urged the public to refrain from buying suspected stolen property, warning that this fuels criminal activity.

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“People are also encouraged to work with the police and report any criminal activities by calling Crime Stop on 08600 10111 or by using the My SAPS app. All information will be treated confidentially and callers may remain anonymous,” said Mdhluli.

These latest incidents follow a spate of robberies at places of worship.

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On the night of Friday, September 5, a mosque in Kwaggafontein in the Nkangala District was robbed.

According to Mdhluli, at around 18:30 two armed suspects entered and held worshippers at gunpoint, robbing one of his cellphone and cash.

One suspect is said to have fired shots that injured three victims. At that point one of the prayer-goers returned fire, injuring a suspect. The 22-year-old collapsed and died at the scene while his accomplice fled. Police and paramedics were called, and a pistol with ammunition was found next to the suspect’s body,” Mdhluli said.

He could neither confirm nor deny whether the suspects are linked to two further armed robberies in Mkhuhlu, at the Pentecost Church and Jesus the Rock Church, on August 3 and August 24 respectively.

The acting provincial police commissioner, Major General Dr Zeph Mkhwanazi, warned that robberies at places of worship will not be tolerated.

“We recently indicated that we are working with faith-based organisations to address this trend. Perpetrators should be warned. We believe that this latest arrest will help resolve some of these cases. This is just the beginning, and we are confident we will overcome this challenge,” said Mkhwanazi.