SAPS arrests 1 suspect during Ehlanzeni anti-hijacking operation
A coordinated tracking operation saw police recover stolen vehicles across the district, while officers continue to hunt for armed suspects who fled on foot.
Three hijacked bakkies have been recovered across the Ehlanzeni District following targeted operations by multidisciplinary police teams.
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Members of the Provincial Anti-Hijacking Task Team (assigned to focus on Ehlanzeni), Tonga Visible Policing, Crime Intelligence, and tracking teams were conducting operations along the N4 highway when they received information regarding a suspicious white double-cab bakkie travelling past Malalane.
The vehicle, bearing Mpumalanga registration plates, was intercepted by the team.
“Preliminary investigations revealed that the vehicle was reportedly hijacked in Kabokweni,” said SAPS spokesperson Colonel Mavela Masondo.
The driver, Alfonso Nhouunte (34), a Mozambican national, was arrested and charged with possession of a suspected stolen motor vehicle. He appeared in the Malelane Periodical Court on October 21 and remains in custody. The matter was postponed to October 28 for a bail application.
Police recover second bakkie near Karino
In a separate incident on October 20, members of the Provincial Anti-Hijacking Task Team (Ehlanzeni) received information regarding another bakkie that had been hijacked. The team immediately collaborated with a vehicle tracking company and responded to the coordinates provided.
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“The vehicle was subsequently found abandoned along the R538 road between Karino and Plaston, with the car keys still in the ignition. The suspects had already fled the scene,” Masondo said, adding that police are still in pursuit of the suspects.
Three armed men hijack bakkie in Kabokweni
Later that evening, at about 19:10, the Provincial Anti-Hijacking Task Team (assigned to focus on Ehlanzeni), Kabokweni Visible Policing members, and tracking companies responded to information regarding another hijacking incident in the Kabokweni policing area.
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The victim was reportedly at home when he was confronted by three armed men who pointed a firearm at him and demanded the keys to his white D-Max bakkie.
The suspects fled with the vehicle. The anti-hijacking team, together with tracking companies, immediately launched a search operation. The vehicle was subsequently recovered abandoned in the Newskom area, with no suspects found at the scene.
