No arrests following hijacked truck in Mpumalanga

The truck was apparently hijacked at gunpoint from its driver on Tuesday at Bronkhortspruit at about 8pm, police said.

It was believed police were approached by a certain tracker company, and they were informed, according to their system, the truck had been near the borders of Swaziland and had been stationary, but they could not see its exact location.

Police constables Ncamiso Maseko and Mafika Tshabalala reportedly embarked on patrols in the forests, where stolen vehicles are normally hidden after they have been stolen.

After a long search, they discovered the truck abandoned in the forest at Belwedier Farm (west of Hartebeeskop) yesterday at about 9am.

It looked as if the suspect (s) had intended to collect it at a later stage, Constable Peace Mbokane said.

Police found personal documents of the driver in the truck, which helped them to locate him.

The driver confirmed the hijacking and that he had opened a case docket at Bronkhortspruit police station, said Mbokane.

“On the same day, the same police officers had arrested a Mozambican national, Nkosinathi Hlatshwayo (28), as well as two Tanzanian nationals, Mwalam Hannies (35) and Shabani Sayeli (29) for dealing in dagga,” said Mbokane.

The three suspects were found in possession of two large bags full of compressed dagga weighing 20.32 kg and valued at R22 000.

They had smuggled the dagga from Swaziland with an aim of selling it in South Africa.

The trio will appear in the Eerstehoek Magistrates’ Court today.

In a separate incident, a gang of robbers made off with cigarettes worth R243 000 after hijacking a British American Tobacco vehicle in Brakpan, on the East Rand, in December last year.

It was alleged the driver was forced into the van at gunpoint.

No arrests have been made.

– Caxton News Service