Pretoria - A 72-year-old woman and her two sons has been arrested in Mpumalanga in connection with the hijacking and murder of an off-duty traffic officer, Thabo Mashego.
The 35-year-old Mashego was killed at Saselani, near Bushbuckridge on Friday night.
“According to the report, on Monday morning, July 25, 2022 members from visible policing in Bushbuckridge received some information regarding a suspicious vehicle parked behind a certain house. The car was further covered with a white cloth,” said Mpumalanga police spokesperson Brigadier Selvy Mohlala.
“Bearing in mind that police were hard at work in relation to a murder case in which the traffic officer was hijacked and brutally killed, the information led members to a house in Agincourt outside Bushbuckridge where upon arrival, they found an old lady as well as the vehicle,” he said.
Police said at first, the old woman denied any knowledge of the vehicle.
“However, members were not derailed but continued and discovered that the vehicle was the VW Polo which was reportedly hijacked during the incident which took the life of the traffic officer,” said Mohlala.
Upon inspection of the vehicle, police officers also discovered that the battery had been removed and hidden inside the bedroom of the woman's 46-year-old son.
“The old woman and two of her sons were arrested for possession of suspected stolen vehicle. Police cannot rule out the possibility of adding more charges against the suspects and further link them to a hijacking and murder case,” said Mohlala.
The arrested suspects are expected to appear before the Mkhuhlu Magistrate’s Court on an unspecified date.
Meanwhile, provincial commissioner of police in Mpumalanga, Lieutenant General Semakaleng Daphney Manamela has welcomed the arrest of the three suspects.
“Apart from collaborating with members of the community, chances of winning the war against crime becomes a mammoth task. We really appreciate the community for playing their role through sharing of information with the police who swiftly acted. We trust that justice will be served for the victim's family,” she said.
Mashego was driving his VW Polo hatchback in the company of his two friends when two armed assailants emerged on the road.
They ordered him to stop, but when he did not, they allegedly fired shots at the vehicle, injuring him. When the vehicle subsequently stopped the assailants dragged the injured driver as well as his two friends out of the car.
The robbers then drove away with the traffic officer’s vehicle.
IOL