An off-duty police officer spotted a stolen vehicle driven by the suspect travelling on the N11.
KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) police have arrested a 38-year-old man who was found in possession of a stolen vehicle, unlicensed firearms and various pieces of police uniform.
Police said officers from Amajuba district, together with the Road Traffic Inspectorate and private security officers, arrested Simphiwe Mhlongo on Wednesday.
Arrest
Police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Paul Magwaza said the arrest came after an off-duty police officer spotted a vehicle driven by Mhlongo travelling along the N11.
“The same vehicle was suspected of being involved in the theft of livestock in Mpumalanga province. Police officers, together with their crime-fighting partners, stopped the vehicle and it was discovered that the vehicle was reported stolen in Jeppestown, Johannesburg, in 2023.
“When the vehicle was searched, an empty rifle bag was found. The discovery of the rifle bag led the team to the suspect’s home, where officers found a rifle, pistol, pieces of police uniform, a police certifying stamp, different car keys and a vehicle logbook,” Magwaza said.
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Court
Magwaza said initial investigations revealed that the recovered rifle was reported stolen in Osizweni.
“Mhlongo made his first court appearance on Thursday, 17 September 2025, in the Utrecht Magistrate’s Court where he was remanded in custody for further investigations as well as a bail application.
“On Monday, 22 September 2025, Mhlongo’s bid for bail came to a screeching halt. Police linked him to the murder of a taxi owner at Osizweni, as well as a business robbery in Utrecht in May, 2025,” Magwaza said.
Magwaza said investigations are still ongoing and it is expected that Mhlongo will face more criminal charges.
Shootout
Meanwhile, three suspects have been killed and two injured during a shootout with the police in Atteridgeville, Pretoria, this week.
Police spokesperson Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi said the confrontation happened after members of the highway patrol working with private security acted on intelligence regarding a group of suspects involved in multiple hijackings around the area.
Nevhuhulwi said three unlicensed firearms with ammunition, signal jammers, gloves and balaclavas, including a vehicle, were confiscated.
Nevhuhulwi added that police investigations are underway.
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