LIMPOPO – Four suspects have been arrested within weeks of committing a house breaking and house robbery on a farm outside Lephalale, said the police.
According to a statement issued by Brigadier Motlafela Mojapelo at the time of the incident, the suspects, who were thought to be three at the time, broke into and stole a number of items from a house on Speculatie farm in the Tom Burke policing area during the weekend of 8 and 9 July. “”The owner of the premises was not home at the time and the suspects used what appeared to be a grinder to open the safe and took undisclosed amount of US dollars and firearms. The Task team was soon established and promptly started following up some leads which led to the recovery of the farm owner’s Isuzu D/Cab bakkie and some of the items stolen from the farm.”
The determination and relentless efforts by members of the Lephalale Detective Task Team and Bela Bela Tracking Team led to the arrest of the suspects in Phagameng township outside Modimolle on Wednesday. All firearms stolen during the housebreaking were also recovered during the arrest, he added.
Mojapelo confirmed that all the suspects were employed at the said farm.
The Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant General Nneke Ledwaba commended all members involved for spending sleepless nights to track down the suspects.
The suspects, aged between 20 and 50-years-old, will soon appear in Tom Burke Magistrate’s Court.
10 July
LIMPOPO -The robbery took place on Speculatie farm at Tom Burke outside Lephalale over the weekend.
According to a statement issued by Brigadier Motlafela Mojapelo, preliminary investigations revealed that the suspects gained access at the said premises, through a window on Saturday or Sunday.
“The owner of the premises was not home at the time and the suspects used what appeared to be a grinder to cut the safe open. An undisclosed amount of money (US dollars), 4 plasma tvs and a number of hunting rifles were stolen during the incident.”
The stolen items were loaded into a white Isuzu bakkie belonging to the farmer and the suspects drove off, he added.
Since then, a search comprised of the Lephalale Cluster Detectives Task Team, Lephalale K9 and Bela Bela HPG Tracking Team, have recovered the Isuzu D/Cab bakkie about 10 kms from the scene. The vehicle had flat tryes and all four plasma TVs were still on the back. The suspects fled on foot with the stolen hunting rifles and the money.
The police are investigating the possibility that the suspects might have been previously employed at the farm.
The three ‘farm workers’ are still at large and anyone with information is requested to contact their nearest police or call our 24-hour toll free number at 0860010111.
The Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant General Nneke Ledwaba has commended all members who were involved in the operation for their quick response in recovering some of the stolen items. He further urged farmers to follow correct processes when employing workers by demanding proper identification before registering any person as a farm worker.
