Four alleged robbers were arrested in Mpumalanga after police in Piet Retief found them in the act of robbing a business, after holding staff and customers hostage.
The quartet allegedly held victims at gunpoint in a business robbery incident which took place at a supermarket on Sunday morning.
“On the said day, between 9.30am and 10am, the SAPS members from Piet Retief received a complaint of a business robbery in progress at a supermarket along Mark Street in town,” Mpumalanga police spokesperson Brigadier Selvy Mohlala said.
“Piet Retief members from visible policing, together with their counterparts from detective services, swiftly responded then proceeded to the crime scene. Upon arrival, that was when they reportedly caught the four suspects in the act,” he said.
According to the police report, the armed assailants held the customers and employees hostage during the incident.
“The four male suspects, aged between 30 and 47, were immediately arrested. During their arrest, the men and women in blue recovered three unlicensed firearms, pistols, as well as a total number of 20 live ammunition from their possession. Serial numbers for two seized pistols were filed off,” said Mohlala.
The police also seized “large sums of money” from the suspects.
“The confiscated firearms will definitely undergo ballistic testing to determine whether they were not used previously in the commission of crime elsewhere.
“A case of business robbery is currently under investigation and the preliminary part of the probe has since revealed that three of the arrested suspects are from the KZN province, while the fourth suspect is from Piet Retief,” said Mohlala.
Police records shows that the Mpumalanga man was previously arrested for another business robbery, a case which took place in Piet Retief around 2021.
In that case, the alleged robber was released on bail by the courts.
“The investigation team is also connecting the dots, trying to understand and look at possibilities that the arrested suspects could have been involved in another robbery at a certain tuck shop nearby, which reportedly occurred a few minutes earlier,” said Mohlala.
All four suspects are today expected to make their first appearance in the Piet Retief Magistrate’s Court. They are facing charges including business robbery, and possession of unlicensed firearms with ammunition.
“More charges could possibly be added against the suspects as the investigation continues,” said Mohlala.
Meanwhile, provincial commissioner of SAPS in Mpumalanga, Lieutenant General Semakaleng Daphney Manamela has applauded the police officers for their “swift response and the zeal they displayed” which resulted in the arrest.
“We are so elated by this achievement as we are in a massive campaign of getting back all unlicensed and illegal firearms from the wrong hands. Firearms are costing us innocent lives in our society, therefore, a recovery of a single firearm is not taken for granted. In this instance, three firearms were seized.
“We really mean business when it comes to fighting crime and no one can dispute the result as it speaks for itself. There is no turning back from here going forward,” Manamela said.
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