The Gauteng police have neither confirmed nor denied a possible link between the five suspects who were this week arrested for a series of church robberies in and around Sophiatown, and their possible involvement in the 2023 murder of Pastor Wayne Gordon, who was killed in front of his congregation in Newlands, near Westdene, in October 2023.

This comes after one of the suspects on Monday was shot dead after law enforcement agents exchanged intense gunfire with alleged criminals in Westdene, Sophiatown.

On Wednesday, three of the five suspects appeared in the Johannesburg Magistrate's Court where their matter was postponed to April 3 for the verification of their details.

Gauteng provincial police spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Mavela Masondo, said two of the suspects were arrested following the shootout, with only three of them having appeared before the Johannesburg Magistrate's Court on Wednesday.

It was reported that the police’s crime intelligence received information about the suspects who were committing armed robberies and break-ins at places of worship around Gauteng.

On Wednesday, an investigating officer close to the situation, speaking on condition of anonymity, indicated that the suspects could be linked to several church robberies but could not be drawn to comment on a possible link to the death of the pastor in 2023.

Two years ago, Pastor Gordon, who was invited as a guest preacher at Eagles Christian Centre in Newlands, was killed when the six men stormed the church and opened fire on an October Friday night.

At the time, it was reported that a live stream of the shooting was widely shared on social media where people were heard screaming.

Following the suspects' court appearance, a senior officer not wanting to reveal too much revealed that there were many incidents of church robberies in and around the Sophiatown area.

"We cannot say for sure that these suspects are directly linked to the 2023 murder case of a pastor. However, there have been other cases of church robberies that we have been following. However, the person you should be speaking to is not me, but the Gauteng police spokesperson," he said.

Following this incident, police spokesperson Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi said a case of murder and two counts of attempted murder are being investigated.

“The suspects fired shots and three people were injured. One of the victims, who succumbed to his injuries, was identified as the pastor of the church. They robbed the people of their mobile phones and other belongings before fleeing the scene,” Nevhuhulwi said.

Masondo indicated that in total, there were five suspects who were arrested on Monday, with two reported to be in hospital, while the remaining three appeared briefly on Wednesday.

“Out of the five arrested, two are in hospital under police guard, as they sustained injuries during the shootout. The suspects are believed to be involved in a number of incidents where churches and places of worship were robbed. They were found in possession of unlicensed firearms and musical instruments that they allegedly stole from a church in Florida," Masondo said.

He was not able to indicate whether these suspects can be linked to the 2023 church murder when asked for comment, with Colonel Nevhuhulwi referring this inquiry back to Lieutenant Colonel Masondo, who was not available for comment at the time of going to print.

"Good day. Please refer your enquiry to Lt Colonel Masondo who issued that statement," she said.

siyabonga.sithole@inl.co.za

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Sophiatown church robbery suspects appear in court, possible link to pastor's murder