SAPS recover goods and livestock stolen near Delmas
A multi-disciplinary operation in the Nkangala district resulted in the recovery of the stolen property near Delmas, in Bronkhorstspruit and in Daveyton.
How many red egg-laying chickens can fit in the boot of a BMW? At least 50, if you go by the account of a thief caught in connection with a farm robbery near the Kusile Power Station on August 14.
A multi-disciplinary operation in the Nkangala district resulted in the recovery of stolen property and the arrest of a Mozambican national.
According to the spokesperson for the police in Mpumalanga, Lieutenant Colonel Jabu Ndubane, the police received information early that morning about the robbery in which five armed men forced their way into the premises.
They stole a Ford Ranger Club Cab, on which they loaded 11 sheep, a generator, a fridge and jumper cables. They also took a BMW, into which they loaded 50 red egg-laying chickens and five cellphones.
With the help of a tracking company, law enforcement discovered both cars and a silver Mazda believed to have been used by the suspects, all spotted on the R42 between Bronkhorstspruit and Delmas.
A high-speed chase ensued, during which the suspects abandoned the BMW with the chickens still in the boot. While some officers secured the scene around the car, others pursued the Ford Ranger.
Ndubane said that during the chase, a Mazda Etude tried to block officers from overtaking. It later crashed, allowing the pursuit to continue into eTwatwa, Daveyton (Gauteng), where the suspects eventually abandoned the Ford Ranger with the sheep and fled on foot.
“Further investigation led to the arrest of the suspect who drove the Etude. Following his arrest, police did a preliminary investigation, which led them to Bronkhorstspruit. There, they recovered the rest of the stolen property.”
The recovered vehicles were booked in at the Delmas Police Station, and the recovered stolen property at Bronkhorstspruit. The Mozambique national arrested is charged with house robbery and contravention of the Immigration Act. He appeared in the Delmas Magistrate’s Court on August 18.
“The police have not ruled out the possibility of additional charges being added as the investigation continues,” said Ndabane.
The SAPS acting provincial commissioner in Mpumalanga, Major General (Dr) Zeph Mkhwanazi, commended the collaboration of all police units involved and thanked the tracking company for ensuring the swift recovery of stolen property and the arrest of the suspect.
