Pretoria – The SAPS in Mpumalanga has commended residents for their support following the rearrest of the second of two men who escaped from a police van near the Ermelo correctional centre in January.
One of the men, 24-year-old Sabelo Nkosi, was rearrested on Friday at his hideout in Khayelisha township near Ermelo, Mpumalanga police spokesperson Brigadier Leonard Hlathi said in a statement.
“He was apprehended and he subsequently appeared before the Ermelo Magistrate’s Court... facing a charge of escaping from lawful custody adding to his initial charges,” said Hlathi.
“Meanwhile, Njabulo Nsibande appeared before the same court last week on Thursday... following his rearrest on 27 January, 2021. The case of having escaped from lawful custody against Nkosi and Nsibande was postponed to 22 February, 2021 for further investigation.”
On Monday, Nkosi and Nsibande also appeared before the Mpumalanga division of the high court sitting in Breyten on their initial charges of murder, attempted murder, two counts of rape and two counts of robbery with aggravating circumstances.
The matter was postponed to February 15. Both men will remain in police custody.
“The management of the police in the province is grateful to the community members who displayed continuous support in the fight against crime and for the excellent collaboration depicted between the community and the police through the SAPS’s crime intelligence members who relentlessly collected and co-ordinated information that led to the re-arrest of the two suspects,” said Hlathi.
“The police also made a call on 26 January through various platforms and the media came on board, where they published pictures and information of the villains accordingly, hence the desired outcome. Therefore, the police would like to express gratitude to the media houses accordingly and respectively.”
African News Agency (ANA)