A 45-year-old man was released due to insufficient evidence after he was apprehended by the K9 Anti-terrorist Task Team and handed over to the Nelspruit SAPS on October 3.
The founder of the task team, Jacques Benadé, believed it had made a breakthrough in the manhunt for the suspect(s) behind the spate of dog poisoning incidents reported in September.
Benadé alleged, “The arrest was the result of members of the public helping the community. A resident called in an alert regarding the whereabouts of the man and the members were deployed to find him. He was arrested three hours later in Mbombela.”
Although, a provincial police spokesperson, Brigadier Selvy Mohlala, initially denied an arrest, later said the a 45-year-old Mozambican man was arrested at about 20:50 on October 3 for possession of housebreaking instruments.
On October 4, Mohlala said, “A man is in custody and he was expected to go to court on October 5. He was charged with possession of housebreaking equipment but faces no other charges.”
According to the spokesperson of the National Prosecuting Authority in Mpumalanga, Monica Nyuswa, the suspect did not appear in court on the said date and was released.
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“The matter was not enrolled due to insufficient evidence and he is legally in South Africa, although he is originally from Mozambique. He was found with a screwdriver and a pair of pliers while walking in the street, not in anyone’s premises,” she said.
Lowvelder previously reported that several pet owners confirmed that eight dogs had died due to the incidents, but it cannot be ruled out that more were killed.
Benadé had described the incidents as a “genocidal attack” on the community. This led him to run the passion-driven project to find the perpetrators of the crime.
Benadé steps down from rewards
He told the publication that he had stepped down from the rewards he had offered community members who provide concrete information about these incidents.
“I have withdrawn the rewards that I offered because I realised that the community is willing to help no matter what. I do not want this project or task team to be driven by money, but by passion and love for the community.
“The resident who brought forth the information that led to a positive outcome being the arrest was paid R5 000 on October 4. We are grateful for the community member’s help and hope the money will be of good use,” he said.
Task team makes breakthrough in Mbombela dog poisonings with arrest – October 3
The K9 Anti-terrorist Task Team made a breakthrough in the manhunt for the suspects behind the dog poisoning incidents reported in Mbombela in September.
The founder of the task team, Jacques Benade, said a man, suspected to be a Mozambican, was caught and handed over to the Nelspruit SAPS today, October 3.
“The arrest was the result of members of the public helping the community. A resident called in an alert regarding the whereabouts of the man and the members rushed to find him. He was arrested three hours later in Mbombela,” he said.
Benade said the unity showcased in the arrest is the aim he had hoped for when he founded the team.
“The team would like to thank the community, the SAPS and security companies. I am glad that residents trust us to help them when they call. This is the first suspect and surely not the last one to be apprehended,” he said.
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This is a developing story. Lowvelder will keep its readers updated as soon as more information becomes available.
