“You didn’t expect to see me again, did you?”
Those were the words WO Kobus Janse van Rensburg uttered as he arrested a fugitive in Richards Bay on Saturday morning who was accused of murder.
The suspect, who was homeless at the time, was taken in by a couple and during a confrontation, allegedly bludgeoned his victim and the victim’s dog to death with a hammer in Springs last year.
He was initially charged with assault, which was changed to murder when his victim died in hospital as a result of the injuries he sustained.
Also read: Murder in Geduld
The suspect was initially tracked to Brakpan, but he continued to elude the police.
Over time his trail went cold and the case was eventually halted as ‘undetected/closed’.
An ex-policeman recognised the suspect in the Richards Bay CBD where he was selling home-made crucifixes at the traffic lights. He recognised the suspect from the posters that were distributed when the search initially started.
WO Wynand du Toit of the Springs SAPS was contacted and he orchestrated an arrest operation that included the Flying Squad, Richards Bay SAPS and volunteers from AfriForum’s safety network.
Also read: Attempted murder in Gugulethu
It was a quiet arrest as all members of the operation were dressed in civilian clothing and the suspect did not realise he was surrounded until it was too late.
Du Toit travelled to Richards Bay on Saturday night with the arrest warrant, and after obtaining witness statements, brought the suspect back to Springs on Sunday to face formal charges in court.
Dave Savides is the Editor in Chief of the Zululand Observer.
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