Johannesburg - The EFF in Gauteng has welcomed the arrest of seven suspects in connection with the alleged hijacking and killing of its councillor, Koketso Mojatau.
Mojatau, 42, and his friend were victims of hijackers.
The hijacking occurred over the weekend next to a KFC outlet in Phumula Vosloorus, where his life was brutally cut short. The murderers took the vehicle and fled the scene with it; the vehicle was later found abandoned at Nguni Hostel Vosloorus.
This brutal crime prompted the EFF in Gauteng to offer a R45 000 reward to anyone who could provide them with information that would lead to the arrest and prosecution of the culprits.
Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department (EMPD) Specialised Task Team (STT) officers, in conjunction with members of the Ekurhuleni Thathazonke Unit, arrested seven suspects for murder and hijacking in the Phumula area.
The crime-fighting unit Thathazonke and officers received information from a reliable informant regarding the whereabouts of suspects sought for the alleged murder and hijacking.
The information led the officers to a house in Phumula Park.
EMPD spokesperson Lt. Colonel Kelebogile Thepa said on arrival at the house, the law enforcers found four suspects, who were all South African nationals.
Among them were one 28-year-old female and three males between the ages of 17 and 28.
“Officers searched the house, where they discovered some stolen items, including the BMW car key and a jacket belonging to the deceased,” said Thepa.
She said the suspected stolen items discovered in the house were: an unlicensed 38 Special pistol with two live rounds; 25 cellphones; two laptop computers; four amplifier speakers; one car radio; one starter box; four spanners; one pack of tubeless tyres; two empty wallets; four car jammers; and two speed points.
“While the members were still busy in the house, they were alerted by the informant that the other suspects who shot Mojatau were spotted somewhere in Vosloorus. The members then waited patiently for the suspects to come back to the house while the informant was tailing the suspects. Officers received a call that the suspects were making their way back to the house. The suspects arrived, and when the members tried to stop them, they failed to stop and started shooting at the members. After a brief shootout, one thug died, and police apprehended two more suspects, namely a 28-year-old male Mozambican national and a 29-year-old South African male,” said Thepa.
One suspect is at large, and Thathazonke has vowed to do all it can to bring him to book.
When the police searched a silver-grey Hyundai sedan, they recovered two unlicensed firearms and one stolen firearm belonging to the SAPS, along with a wallet belonging to Mojatau with his ID and bank cards stashed in the boot.
“A case of murder and hijacking was opened at the Alberton police station, and another case of possession of suspected stolen property, possession of an unlicensed firearm, and attempted murder was opened against the suspects. All suspects were arrested and detained at the Alberton police station and will appear at the Palm Ridge Court soon,” Thepa said.
Thathazonke spokesperson Simphiwe Khumalo said the unit would not rest until all perpetrators were behind bars.
“There is no space for crime in Ekurhuleni; we are making strides in getting rid of hijackers and dangerous suspects off our streets,” Khumalo said.
The Star