The three men accused of the recent cash-in-transit (CIT) theft of R8 000 in coins on the Jeppes Reef road (R570), near One Tree Hill in Nkomazi, have been remanded in custody following their appearance in the Malelane Magistrate’s Court on Monday August 14.
A taxi driver, Mosa Bhekifa Ngwenyama (30), a spaza shop owner from Malawi, Ali Obi Ebrahim (24), and a messenger of a Mpumalanga department, Mfanasibili Lawrence Lubisi (44), face various charges including CIT robbery, contravention of the Explosives Act, attempted murder, conspiracy to commit a crime and malicious damage to property.
The case was postponed to August 21 for bail applications.
The three were arrested just few hours after the heist, at a safe house owned by Lubisi in Schoemansdal, on Friday August 11.
The spokesperson for the Mpumalanga Hawks, Captain Dineo Sekgotodi, previously said four people were arrested. The fourth person was identified as a teacher.
“The teacher was not part of the syndicate. He was found in the house while he was there for something else. During the investigation and interview, he was not linked to the crime and he was released,” she said.
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She said the armoured vehicle (AV) of Fidelity Security Service was travelling from Malalane, transporting cash destined for a business in Tonga.
She said the AV was rammed by a C-Class Mercedes-Benz, lost control and overturned. It was then bombed and approximately R8 000 in coins were stolen.
A manhunt by a multi-disciplinary team led by the Hawks was launched.
Sekgotodi said two vehicles which were used during the robbery were recovered at the safe house. These are a Mercedes-Benz ML 350 which was reported stolen in Masoyi in July, and a Ford Ranger bakkie which was reported stolen in Bushbuckridge in May.
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Additional items were also seized during the operation. These include a 9mm pistol, an AK-47, a bulletproof vest, a SANDF jacket, three balaclavas, a pair of hand gloves and clothing of the suspects.
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