Pretoria – A 39-year-old man has been arrested for a gruesome farm attack and robbery which took place at Sussenvale Farm outside Modimolle, Limpopo, earlier this month.
Detectives and members of the South African Police Service’s crime intelligence unit in Modimolle received information that one of the suspects for a farm robbery, a foreign national, would be appearing before the Pretoria Magistrate's Court on Tuesday on an unrelated charge.
“The suspect indeed arrived (at the Pretoria court) driving the same vehicle, a Toyota Fortuner, reportedly used during the commission of the Modimolle farm attack.
’’The suspect, who was out on bail after he was arrested at Hercules for another charge of possession of copper cables, was immediately arrested after appearing in the Pretoria Magistrate's Court,” said Limpopo SAPS spokesperson Brigadier Motlafela Mojapelo.
“He was then taken to one of his addresses in Hammanskraal, where some of the properties that were allegedly robbed during the farm attack such as laptops, mechanical equipment and tools were recovered.”
Mojapelo said before 11pm on September 18 about four assailants - all armed with firearms - accosted the occupant of the Limpopo farm house.
“They then allegedly assaulted him and ransacked the house. At one stage they allegedly threw him threw a window, resulting in him sustaining lacerations. The suspects took his cellphone, televisions, wallet, oven, a generator and one rifle,” said Mojapelo.
The robbers left the property in the early hours of the following day, taking with them the victim’s Volkswagen Polo. The attacked man later managed to walk to a neighbour’s house and was later transported to hospital.
“The VW Polo that was taken during the house robbery was recovered by the Hammanskraal SAPS, a day after the incident.
’’This after the suspects were cornered by SAPS members and during the chase, they abandoned the vehicle and fled on foot,” said Mojapelo.
Provincial commissioner of police in Limpopo Lieutenant-General Thembi Hadebe has commended police officers for the “meticulous investigations” that has led to the apprehension of the 39-year-old man.
He will appear in the Modimolle Magistrate's Court on Thursday on a charge of house robbery. Police are still searching for the other people involved in the farm attack.
IOL