The Provincial Commissioner of the South African Police Service in Mpumalanga, Lieutenant General Semakaleng Manamela has welcomed the arrest of three male suspects in connection with four counts of murder and one count of attempted murder.
The men, aged between 18 and 48 are due to appear before the Mbibane Magistrate’s Court on Monday, 13 September 2021, facing the said allegations.
The men were arrested at Troya near Vaalbank during a sting operation conducted by members from the Taxi Violence, Murder and Robbery Unit in the evening of Friday, 10 September 2021.
The operation was executed after the astute members received information about the wanted suspects in a murder case where four male persons were torched to death in Vaalbank on 10 May 2021. Their horrific death came after the men were reportedly accused of stock theft.
They were allegedly captured and assaulted. Later, the four were sadly forced inside the Isuzu bakkie, which belongs to one of them and then reportedly burnt to death. Another victim is alleged to have been shot by one of the suspects on the same day and he reportedly sustained some injuries.
The suspects fled the scene after this terrible incident.
The SAPS members at Vaalbank as well as the paramedics were informed about the incident and upon arrival the four men were unfortunately certified dead. Police opened a case accordingly and an investigation began with a launch of manhunt for the suspects. T
he Taxi Violence, Murder and Robbery Unit was assigned to probe the matter hence the operation which led to the subsequent arrest of the three.
During the arrest, a rifle with ammunition was confiscated. The said firearm will form part of the probe. Police cannot rule out the possibility of adding more charges against the suspects.
Meanwhile Lieutenant General Manamela, the Provincial Commissioner of the SAPS in Mpumalanga has urged people not to take the law into their own hands as the action amounts to criminality and the law will have to be applied to those who choose to disobey.
