According to the chairperson of the Fochville CPF, Mr J.C. van der Merwe, members of the CPF were doing a routine patrol at around 20:00 on 23 March when they heard a gunshot close by.
“As they neared the stop on the corner of Kraalkop and Kruis streets, they saw two people running towards them,” says Van der Merwe.
When the patrollers, Mr Droogte van Rensburg and two family members, made further enquiries, they heard that robbers had just hit a shop in Kraalkop Street and were driving down School Street.
The patrollers chased after the vehicle through the town and followed it onto the R500, heading towards Carletonville. They never let the suspects out of their sight until they had reached the R501, where the robbers turned off towards Blyvoor.
Meanwhile, the CPF had been in close contact with the Fochville SAPS. Before the suspects could reach their destination, the police had apprehended them.
When they got back to the Fochville police station, the owner of the shop identified them as the people who had robbed him.
“The CPF believes that by working together with other community members and the police, we can reclaim our streets. Operations like these make the Fochville CPF the best in Merafong at the moment,” says Van der Merwe.
“The acting station commander, Capt. John Mlambo, praised the patrollers for their persistence in following the robbers until the police arrived and thanked them for their commitment,” says the Fochville police’s spokesperson, Sgt. Elsie Tshonte.
