Court appearance of suspect linked to the Wolmaransstad cash in transit heist

Following his arrest by Hawks’ Serious Organised Crime Investigation, assisted by members of Crime Intelligence, Dog unit, and Visible Policing, Khumo Maleshane (29) appeared before the Wolmaransstad Magistrate’s Court on Monday, 9 January 2023. As a result of a Cash in Transit robbery which occurred just five kilometers from Wolmaransstad on the morning of 5 January 2023, the accused was arrested in Potchefstroom that afternoon.

According to Police Spokesperson, Captain Tlangelani Rikhotso, During the early hours of Thursday, 05 January 2023, a group of suspects allegedly rammed into a cash van en route to Wolmaransstad from Klerksdorp, spinning it off the road. An undisclosed amount of money and two firearms belonging to security officers were taken by the armed suspects after they bombed the cash van.

A manhunt was immediately launched which led to the arrest of the accused, within a couple of hours. “He was arrested around 15:00 in Potchefstroom after he was found in a vehicle that allegedly fitted the description of one of the vehicles at the crime scene. He was also allegedly found in possession of a bag with over R60 000. Both the vehicle and the money were seized for further investigation,” Rikhotso confirmed

Among the charges facing the accused are robbery with aggravating circumstances, attempted murder, malicious damage to property, and contravention of the explosives act. The matter has been postponed to Friday, 13 January 2023, and the accused is remanded in custody. “Investigations are still ongoing and more arrests cannot be ruled out,” Rikhotso added.