UPDATE: Constable arrested in Secunda for business robbery

UPDATE: The office of the Provincial Commissioner, Mpumalanga released the following update.

A 30-year-old police constable, Linda Ngwenya, appeared before the Secunda Magistrate’s Court on 29 July, facing a charge of defeating the ends of justice.

Ngwenya was arrested for allegedly releasing two men who were busted by security guards shortly after a business robbery was committed at a retail shop.

It is alleged that in the early hours of Sunday, 26 July, two men, Vusi Maphanga (25) and Peter Mokete (24), forcefully held two security guards and tied them.

They then gained entry to the shop through the roof and were disrupted by a security patrol vehicle which was visiting the site.

They then attempted to flee the scene but the guards saw them and managed to arrest them.

The guards saw a police vehicle which was driven by Ngwenya and handed over the suspects to him to be taken to the police station.

According to the guards, they had some suspicions about the way Ngwenya handled the suspects and decided to follow the police vehicle.

When they arrived at the police station, the suspects were not there and they alerted the other police officials.

The two men were spotted by the police together with the security guards behind the police single quarter barracks leaving the premises and were cornered.

They were positively identified by the guards as the robbery suspects who were handed over to Ngwenya.

An investigation was launched to determine the cause that led to the suspects not being detained.

As a result Ngwenya was nabbed hence his appearance with the duo.

They were all remanded in custody until 12 August pending further investigation.

SECUNDA – A 30-year-old police constable and two men aged 24 and 25 appeared in the Secunda Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, 28 July.
They were arrested in connection with business robbery in Secunda.

According to the police, the suspects gained entry through the roof of a retail shop after they had tied up two security guards.

They fled the scene before they could take something because one of the security patrol vehicles was patrolling in the vicinity and disturbed them, resulting in their arrests.

Lt Bettinah Zindo, police spokesman, said a police vehicle was spotted on the scene and the suspects were handed over to the police with the hope that the suspects will be taken to the police station.

“The security guards became suspicious when the police officer treated the suspects with kid gloves.

“They followed  the police vehicle, but it never went to the community service centre.

“Upon investigation two suspects were spotted behind the police single quarters and when rearrested, they were positively identified as the ones who tied up the security guards.

“The police constable was arrested for defeating the ends of justice.”

The case was postponed to 12 August and all suspects remain in custody.