By Everson Luhanga
Five men wanted for murder were arrested by North West police at a roadblock in Rustenburg on Sunday.
Police spokesperson Brigadier Sabata Mokgwabone said the men had a large amount of weapons in their cars.
“In one of the vehicles, which had two occupants, officers discovered 130 rounds of 9mm ammunition, 280 rounds of AK-47 ammunition, three AK-47 assault rifles, two other rifles, one shotgun, three 9mm pistols, and five 9mm magazines,” said Brigadier Mokgwabone.
The suspects were stopped at the Trans-Kalahari Corridor roadblock. Mokgwabone explained that these arrests are connected to an incident on Wednesday, 21 August, where three attempted murder charges were reported at Sun City Police Station.
This happened after a shooting involving employees of three private security companies in Tlhatlaganyane village.
Two men, aged 30 and 32, were arrested at the scene, and a vehicle was taken by police. A manhunt was launched for other suspects who escaped in Toyota Fortuner and Toyota GD6 vehicles.
Investigations showed that the Toyota GD6, with three people inside, was reported stolen in May in Delmas, Mpumalanga. The Vehicle Crime Investigation Unit (VCIU) is looking into this.
“The two occupants of the Toyota Fortuner, both aged 42, are expected to appear in the Rustenburg Magistrates’ Court on Monday, 26 August, facing charges of unlawful possession of firearms and unlawful possession of ammunition,” Mokgwabone added.
The other two suspects are being questioned by Sun City police to see if they are linked to the attempted murder charges.
Meanwhile, the two suspects arrested in Sun City are also expected in court on 26 August for three counts of attempted murder.
Provincial Police Commissioner, Lieutenant General Sello Kwena, praised the officers involved, saying these arrests show that the police are serious about fighting crime.
In another case in Gauteng, police in the Sedibeng area seized unlicensed firearms, including three rifles and one 9mm pistol, along with 394 rounds of 9mm pistol and 58 rounds of rifle ammunition. One person was arrested.
Pictured above: Firearms confiscated at roadblock where five murder suspects were arrested in Rustenburg
Source: North West SAPS
