Jörg Schnarr was fatally shot on October 3 while travelling on the Numbi road near White River.
Three suspects alleged to be involved in the murder of German tourist Jörg Schnarr have been arrested, with one of the men being nabbed in a retail store in Mbombela last week.
A provincial police spokesperson, Brigadier Selvy Mohlala, said one of the suspects was arrested in Mbombela, another in Badplaas and the third in Elukwatini between Wednesday, November 16, and Thursday, November 17.
Mohlala said the suspects are aged between 25 and 38.
An intelligence-driven operation by the Mpumalanga Task Team, Piet Retief Crime Intelligence, Piet Retief Detectives along with Bossies Community Justice (BCJ) and AG Solutions was conducted on Wednesday regarding a suspect driving a silver VW Polo.
AG Solutions’ Callen Herbst reported that BCJ’s Albert Gryvenstein, who is also the director of AG Solutions, was in contact with the police regarding the silver VW Polo that was believed to be involved in two house robberies in Piet Retief.
Herbst and Lappies Labuschagne, along with the various police units, found the car at a retail store in Mbombela late on Wednesday afternoon.
Herbst said the vehicle driver had tried to flee the store’s parking lot, but the police blocked the entrance and cornered the suspect while AG Solutions and police went in to apprehend him.
Mohlala said the suspect was allegedly involved in a string of business robberies around Piet Retief, Ermelo and Bethal.
Mohlala said an in-depth probe by the police led the team to arrest the two other suspects in Elukwatini and Badplaas and that one of these suspects had been found to be in possession of a white Toyota Tazz, believed to be involved in Schnarr’s murder.
He said a firearm with its serial numbers filed off was also recovered during the arrest along with 11 live ammunition and some jamming devices.
He said the trio are expected to appear in court soon.
Mohlala added that a separate intelligence-driven operation on Friday, November 18, by the Mpumalanga Task Team, Piet Retief Crime Intelligence, Piet Retief Detectives and a tracing and locating agency took place in Matsulu and Tekwane North.
One suspect was arrested for possession of an unlicensed firearm with 30 live rounds of ammunition in Matsulu, while another was arrested in connection with a number of business robberies around Piet Retief.
“This suspect was reportedly found in possession of a red VW Polo, which is suspected to have been used often previously in several criminal activities. All confiscated items will form part of the probe and possibly more charges against the suspects may be added as the investigation continues. They are expected to appear in court soon,” said Mohlala.
The provincial police commissioner, Lieutenant General Semakaleng Manamela, has gladly welcomed the arrests made. She said the hard work by the men and women in blue will assist to improve trust between the public and the police.
She further assured the community that more successes will be witnessed as more boots have been deployed on the ground as part of the 2022/23 Safer Festive Season Operations.
