A fourth suspect has emerged in addition to three others linked to a recent brazen armed robbery whereby an amount of R190 000 was allegedly stolen.
All four were granted conditional bail of R5 000 each.
The foursome was expected to report to the police station in Bela-Bela once a week, and were warned not to interfere with witnesses.
Constable Simon Sebelebele was apparentlty the missing link when the Hawks pounced on Sergeant Humbulani Mulaudzi (39), Constable Hlengani Jan Maswanganyi (33) and Constable Sibusiso Makwela (37) on Friday 21 September.
The three suspects were rounded up on the premises of the Bela-Bela Police Station.
According to Bela-Bela Detectives’ Commander, Lieutenant-Colonel Abel Phetla, Sebelebele had handed himself over to the Hawks in the Limpopo capital of Polokwane on Friday 28 September.
Although Sebelebele was spotted on the court premises on Tuesday 25 September when the threesome made a formal appearance, the former did not take the stand.
He only appeared alongside his alleged accomplices on Monday 1 October and also Tuesday 2 October.
The bail application for Mulaudzi, Maswanganyi and Makwela was heard by the Bela-Bela Magistrate’s Court starting from Monday into Tuesday.
The interest in the case was low-key comparable to the first appearance, whereby spectators converged on the court premises in big numbers.
SAPS re-enforcements from the Public Order Policing continued to keep a close eye on the situation on Monday and Tuesday of the formal bail application proceedings.
According to the Hawks, the four men were charged with kidnapping, corruption and armed robbery.
Mulaudzi, Maswanganyi and Makwela were surprised by the arrival of the Hawks in a sting operation, and rounded up on the premises of the Bela-Bela Police Station.
The sequence of events had attracted massive mainstream media interest, with the breaking news flighted on national TV and radio.
— The BEAT
