Hawks branded vehicle The Hawks managed to track and trace the suspects to Tembisa in Gauteng. File Picture
Five suspects are expected to appear in the Welkom Magistrate’s Court in the Free State on charges of murder and robbery after they were arrested in Gauteng.
The suspects, aged between 23 and 46, were being sought by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (known as the Hawks) for a murder and robbery that took place in Welkom on December 3 last year.
The provincial spokesperson for the Hawks in the Free State, Warrant Officer Fikiswa Matoti said the group was apprehended during a tracing operation held in Tembisa, Gauteng by members of the Hawks’ Serious Organised Crime Investigation team based in Welkom, along with the Tactical Response Team (TRT) from Welkom.
“It is alleged that suspects entered a network plant situated in the Welkom industrial area where about two suspects were armed with 9mm pistols. They tied employees up and started to load optic fibre rolls onto a vehicle. On their way out of the plant, suspects fatally shot one of the employees.
“It was later discovered that the suspects who robbed the plant were seven in total. The suspects took the drums of fibre with an estimated value of R1.5 million and two cell phones,” Matoti said.
The matter was referred to the Hawks’ Serious Organised Crime Investigation team for probing and since the incident investigators have been working tirelessly to track down all suspects involved.
The investigation and search for the remaining two suspects linked to the crime remain ongoing.
Last month, Mzikayise Mokoena, 37, was convicted and sentenced for theft of optic fibre cable in the Welkom Magistrate’s Court.
robin.francke@inl.co.za
IOL