Cape Town — Police in Limpopo have welcomed the arrest of five suspects linked to the spiking and murder incident that occurred on the N1 freeway.
In a statement, police believed the arrest of the suspects would help solve several attacks on motorists and passengers in the province, especially on the highways. This comes following multiple reported cases of victims who were driving along the N1 near Bela Bela when their vehicles were damaged due to spiking, resulting in punctures.
“When their vehicles came to a standstill, these motorists would be attacked and robbed of their valuables. In another incident, a victim was shot and died on the scene,” police spokesperson, Colonel Malesela Ledwaba, said.
[LIMPOPO] #sapsLIM arrested suspects linked to spiking and murder incidents on the N1 freeway. The arrests followed collaborative police efforts and will aid in resolving attacks on motorists. The Bela Bela Magistrates Court postponed the accused’s bail application to 9 December. pic.twitter.com/f4cP9F1Aj7
— South African Criminal Justice System (@RSA_CJS) November 17, 2024
Ledwaba said police have been working tirelessly to apprehend the suspects and received information that SAPS Brits and Temba arrested the N1 robbers in a combined effort between Bela Bela Detectives and colleagues from the North West and Gauteng.
“The robbers, after appearing in court at Temba, were brought to Bela Bela SAPS. An identification parade was held on 14 November 2024, in which witnesses managed to identify the suspects as those who robbed them successfully,” Ledwaba said.
Police confirmed that suspects were implicated in cases of armed robbery and murder that occurred in June and July 2024. Alberto Quton Lucas, Khoza Khumalo, Tsakirai Wedzerai, and John Moyo faced armed robbery charges that happened in June 2024, while Khumalo, Moyo and Brighton Zacheche face charges for a Bela Bela murder in July 2024.
The accused made their first appearance in the Bela Bela Magistrate Court last week and the case has been postponed to 9 December 2024.
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Picture: X/@RSA_CJS
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Compiled by Matthew Petersen