An intensive search by Maclear SAPS assisted by Mthatha and Elliot K9 Units led to the fatal shooting of a suspect following a business robbery at Maclear.
It is alleged that on 15 January 2019, at about 08:00 two suspects, one armed, entered the business premises and took a staff member with them to the Post Office side of the building. The suspects instructed everyone to lay down and managed to get hold of the safe key. They took an undisclosed amount of cash from the safe and also emptied the cash registers before fleeing the scene in a Ford Ranger bakkie belonging to one of the staff members.
SAPS was then contacted and immediately started tracking the suspects with the assistance of the vehicle tracking system. The suspects abandoned the vehicle at Nkwenkweni near Qumbu and ran into a nearby plantation. After a 4 hour intensive search, one of the suspects was spotted.
A shootout ensued and the suspect was fatally wounded. The second suspect managed to evade the police but all possible leads to trace and arrest him are being followed.
The Ford Ranger bakkie, an R4 rifle and 2 magazines were recovered.
“The police in the Province are committed in clamping down on crime and criminal activities. SAPS members in the rural areas are as vigilant and will continue to maintain zero tolerance approach in preventing crime in their policing areas,” said Eastern Cape Acting Provincial Commissioner, Major General Andre Swart.
South Africa Today – South Africa News
