Metro cop appears in court in connection with Mpumalanga hijacking case
According to police, the officer allegedly stole a rifle with 30 rounds and a pistol with 15 rounds which have not been recovered.
A 36-year-old metro police officer linked to Tshwane appeared at the Delmas Magistrate’s Court last Friday, where his case was postponed to January 23.
Hennie Mabasa is expected to make a formal bail application on Thursday.
Mabasa was arrested in connection with the hijacking of a courier escort team. The incident occurred in Sundra, Victor Khanye Local Municipality on January 15.
According to police, the officer allegedly stole a rifle with 30 rounds and a pistol with 15 rounds which have not been recovered.
Lieutenant-Colonel Jabu Ndubane said, “It is alleged that in the early hours of the said day [January 15], at about 02:00 two employees (driver and crew) of a certain courier company were in Sundra, driving along the N12 in a Mitsubishi bakkie. The two were escorting two company trucks.
“Both employees were reportedly armed.”
She said a vehicle (a VW Golf 7) allegedly emerged from behind the escort team, its siren on and flashing blue lights.
“The bakkie (Mitsubishi) was then pulled over and forced to stop. When the driver of the bakkie climbed out, he met four people, including one female dressed in metro police uniform.”
Ndubane said the driver was ordered to produce a driver’s licence.
She said the police officers further requested the escort team to hand over their firearms, including their licence.
“After disarming the two men, the four suspects then reportedly held their victims at gunpoint and ordered them to lie down in front of the VW Golf.”
ALSO READ: Two killed in armed robbery after driver stops to relieve himself on N1 North
She said as the incident progressed, one of the victims was held by one suspect inside the Mitsubishi bakkie while the other victim (the driver) was taken to the VW Golf.
She said the suspect had been driving around with the driver of the bakkie and later dropped him off at Nel Street in Sundra.
The other victim in the bakkie was left stranded next to the R42, however, he managed to contact the employer who in turn, alerted security companies for support.
Ndubane said the VW Golf was eventually spotted stuck in the mud in Delmas.
“The suspect, who was driving the VW Golf, reportedly claimed that he was lost, then changed his story later to say that he was hijacked. Surprisingly, when he saw a police vehicle approaching, he tried to evade arrest but was shortly caught.”
Ndubane said the suspect’s accomplice was still at large and sought by police.
The 36-year-old suspect remains in custody and is expected to make a formal bail application on Thursday.
A suspect, believed to be a @TMPDSafety officer has been arrested after a gang hijacked security personnel who were escorting a truck along N12 Delmas.#CrimeWatch pic.twitter.com/T4IpQu96Hq
— Yusuf Abramjee (@Abramjee) January 15, 2025
Acting provincial commissioner of the SAPS in Mpumalanga, Major General Zeph Mkhwanazi has commended law enforcement agencies for their swift response which resulted in the arrest of the suspect.
“We have been working hard to deal with robberies involving the use of blue lights. We had worrying incidents whereby courier company cars and tourists were robbed of their belongings by unknown suspects using a similar modus operandi. We trust that by this arrest, unresolved cases will be resolved,” said Mkhwanazi.
ALSO READ: ‘Metro police officer’ arrested for hijacking, theft in Mpumalanga
Do you have more information about the story?
Please send us an email to bennittb@rekord.co.za or phone us on 083 625 4114.
For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord’s websites: Rekord East
For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram or TikTok.
