The fight against crime in rural areas gained success after police arrested eight suspects in two separate incidents.
In the first incident reported on Thursday, 1 June 2023, information was received of a donkey cart, next to the Botswana Port of Entry in Matlhase village, Lehurutshe, loaded with goat carcasses.
Police were assisted by local community members and two suspects were cornered and apprehended. Six goat carcasses were found in their possession, which they could not account for.
With the assistance of tattoo markings on the carcasses, the owner was traced.
As a result, Siamang Kapari (33) and Dikgang Daniel Madisa (38) appeared before the Lehurutshe Magistrates’ Court on Monday, 5 June 2023, for stock theft.
They were remanded in custody until their next court appearance before the same court on Monday, 12 June 2023.
In another separate incident reported on Monday, 5 June 2023, information was received of two suspicious vehicles; a Toyota Quantum and Nissan NP 300 bakkie, driving around in the early hours of the morning on the N14 road between Coligny and Ventersdorp.
With the assistance of the local neighbourhood watch, the police followed the vehicles and when they stopped the Toyota Quantum at about 4:00, two suspects got out and fled the scene while the Nissan NP 300 took a turn into a nearby location and vanished.
A 41-year-old Mozambican national who was the driver of the Quantum, was arrested. Upon searching the vehicle, the police found 13 rolled bundles of copper cable with an estimated value of R22 500-00. Subsequent to the arrest, neighbouring stations were alerted of the NP 300 bakkie that fled the scene.
However, members of Klerksdorp Flying Squad noticed the Nissan bakkie on the N12 road between Wolmaransstad and Klerksdorp about three hours later. They stopped the vehicle and apprehended five more suspects, all Mozambican nationals between the ages of 21 and 33.
Initial investigations determined that the copper cables were stolen from an Eskom substation, close to Coligny.
The suspects will appear before the Coligny Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, 7 June 2023, for possession of suspected stolen copper cables as well as causing damages to and tampering with essential infrastructure in accordance with Section 3 of the Criminal Matters Amendment Act, 2015 (Act No.18 of 2015).
