Suspected drug runner still behind bars
Mbatha was stopped and the Mercedes searched mandrax worth R9 million was found inside the boot
Themba Mbatha is still behind bars.
The 52-year-old Mbatha is accused of transporting drugs worth R9 million.
He will only appear in court again on April 2.
Mbatha was remanded in custody by Witbank Magistrate’s Court on March 18.
He was arrested by Witbank Police Highway Patrol Flying Squad after the car drew their attention because the driver was accelerating and then reducing speed.
After Mbatha was stopped and the Mercedes searched mandrax worth R9 million was found inside the boot.
The drugs were transported from Mozambique to Gauteng.
Provincial police spokesperson Brig Leonard Hlathi said Mbatha was a parolee.
He was previously arrested in 1997 for various cases including, robbery aggravating during a cash-in-transit, murder, two counts of attempted murder as well as possession of a firearm without a license and ammunition for which he was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Pretoria High Court.
“Mbatha was then released on parole in 2018 and was due to finish his minimum sentence on February 28, 2021,” said Brig Hlathi.
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