Two suspects, Sicelo Gibixhegu (23) and Neo Madiba (38) appeared on 8 March 2021, in the Moretele Magistrate’s Court in Tembisa on charges of ATM bombing and attempted murder. They will remain in custody until their next court appearance on Wednesday, 17 March 2021.
Their apprehension emanates from an incident reported in Dikebu village, Bedwang on Friday, 5 March 2021. A member of the community telephonically reported that she heard gunshots and a loud bang from a nearby Automated Teller Machine (ATM), situated in the yard of a supermarket and hardware store.
When police arrived on the scene, they found that the ATM was blown up. A middle aged male, who was at the ATM at the time of the explosion, was shot in the stomach and taken to hospital for medical treatment.
It is further alleged that four male suspects fired shots and ran into the nearby bushes where they split into two groups after being chased by community members. Meanwhile police joined the search and managed to arrest two suspects.
The Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General Sello Kwena, congratulated the community for their brave acts that assisted the police to apprehend the perpetrators. He said the police will not be successful in apprehending criminals without the community, who are the eyes and ears of the police.
