Suspects in Blue Route Mall jewellery robbery had other cases pending

One of the men charged with the robbery of a jewellery store at the Blue Route Mall last month was out on bail for another robbery, at the time of the theft. Picture: Supplied

One of the men charged with the robbery of a jewellery store at the Blue Route Mall last month was out on bail for another robbery, at the time of the theft. Picture: Supplied

Published Sep 19, 2019

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Cape Town - One of the men charged with the robbery of a jewellery store at the Blue Route Mall last month was out on bail for another robbery, while a warrant of arrest hung over the head of the other one at the time of the theft.

Information regarding previous criminal cases of Siviwe Mkiva and Lizo Hangana emerged on Wednesday in the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court, where the accused were to apply for bail. The State has indicated that it would oppose the application in view of the fact that firearms were used.

The State also indicated that Mikiva had a pending robbery matter from last year, while Hangana had outstanding fraud and robbery matters relating to crimes allegedly committed in Nyanga and Manenberg. Hangana told the court he was out on R1000 bail for a business robbery in Bellville.

The prosecution also planned to add new charges of robbery with aggravating circumstances as the perpetrators who allegedly robbed the jewellery store fled in a hijacked vehicle.

The two are accused of being part of a gang that used a sledgehammer and firearms to scare staff and smash counters before fleeing with jewellery.

The Blue Route robbery was

captured on CCTV. A shoot-out ensued between a police officer and the

suspects, but no one was injured. The case was postponed to October 15.

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