Three men will appear at the Carolina Regional Court for the second time since their arrest on 2 May 2019 at Badplaas, for the alleged robbery of a local foreign-owned shop in the area.
The trio, Sipho Patrick Mathibela (31), Tshepo Presley Mashele (32) and Rendani Marshal Ndou (38) were arrested within minutes after they allegedly stormed into the shop armed with firearms and robbed the occupants of goods and cash. They then fled the scene taking the Carolina direction.
A Detective who was also driving on the same direction, to attend court at Carolina got wind of the matter through the police radio and almost at the same time, the mentioned suspects’ vehicle, a blue Volkswagen Polo, overtook the state vehicle he was driving. His vast police experience kicked in, as he assessed the situation as dangerous for him to tackle the suspects by himself. The quick thinking cop contacted the neighbouring police station ahead, Carolina to intercept the vehicle that he was now following.
Police at Carolina set up a Vehicle Checkpoint and as soon as the suspects’ vehicle pitched up, they discovered that the men and women in blue have long been waiting for them and it was pulled over for a search. Cash as well as cigarette boxes and the victim’s driver’s licence were recovered. Two firearms with serial numbers filed off were also found and seized.
They were arrested and subsequently appeared on 6 May 2019 at the same court, where they were remanded in custody for further investigation.
The dedicated Detective continued his investigation and has since established that one of the firearms had been stolen at Vanderbijlpark in Gauteng. Also that the one suspect, Mashele is wanted for a murder case at Bushbuckridge, where he was known as Tumelo Presley Theko.
The trio will reappear at the same court on 10 October 2019. The Provincial Commissioner of the South African Police Service in Mpumalanga, Lieutenant General Mondli Zuma appreciated the sterling work done by all members involved in capturing the villains. General Zuma particularly could not withhold his appreciation for the dedicated member (Detective) who was instrumental in ensuring that these suspects do not evade arrest and for his dedication and discipline in ensuring that further investigations are carried out regarding the suspects.
South Africa Today – South Africa News
