Pretoria – Two men are due to appear before the Emalahleni Magistrate's Court today after they allegedly robbed a business owner, his wife and employees of a vehicle, groceries and money.
The pair face charges of robbery and possession of stolen property and an unlicensed firearm with ammunition.
Provincial police spokesperson, Brigadier Selvy Mohlala said it took a few minutes for Witbank police to intercept the suspects, aged 45 and 51, after the crime was committed.
“According to information received, the businessman was offloading his stock at his tuck shop in Elpaso, Witbank, when two suspects, one armed with a firearm, demanded cash and vehicle keys.
“The suspects then took the vehicle, a Nissan NP300 panel van loaded with stock worth tens of thousands of rand. They left the victims unharmed and the victim alerted the police who immediately launched a lookout for the vehicle and suspects,” Mohlala said.
“It took few minutes for police to locate a vehicle matching the stolen vehicle's description in Clewer, Witbank, with two occupants. Police brought the vehicle to a stop and found it was still loaded with the victim's groceries.”
The two were arrested and when they were searched, police found an unlicensed 9mm pistol with ammunition.
Mohlala said the firearm would undergo ballistics testing to determine whether it had been used in the commission of other crimes.
The Mpumalanga police commissioner, Lieutenant General Semakaleng Daphney Manamela, said she was “delighted” by the speedy arrest.
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