Mozambican arrested for his suspected involvement in Hectorspruit road spikes
A 20-year-old man from Mozambique was arrested on April 13. He is suspected of being connected to road-spiking incidents near Hectorspruit, where a taxi driver was recently hacked to death.
In Nkomazi, motorists have been targeted by suspects who make use of road spikes and self-made car-stopping objects to force drivers to stop so they can be robbed of their possessions during night-time or in the early hours of the morning.
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As days passed leading to the Easter holidays, the Komatipoort police received reports of suspects who targeted motorists crossing the Lebombo Border Gate. They would place some spikes at strategic areas on the road, knowing that their victims would be vulnerable to attacks.
On Monday April 11, a taxi driver from the North West, Sithole Edson William, was allegedly hacked to death by a gang of about 20 armed suspects who had reportedly put spikes on the N4 he was travelling on towards the border.
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The Komatipoort police were notified about the incident, and a case with a count of murder and armed robbery was opened. The police followed received information and went to a certain tavern in Mjajane, close to Hectorspruit, around 23:00 on Wednesday April 13, where they arrested the suspect.
During his arrest, the police found an unlicensed firearm with ammunition in his possession. He was charged accordingly. It was also revealed that the man is originally from Mozambique and is in the country illegally, thus, a charge of contravention of the Immigration Act was added against him. The police cannot rule out the possibility of linking him to any of the above-mentioned robbery incidents as the investigation continues and items are recovered.
The suspect is due to appear in the Komatipoort Magistrate’s Court while the men and women in blue are still pursuing the remaining suspects. “We have never rested since it was brought to our attention that suspects are targeting motorists using spikes. We have now made a major breakthrough with this arrest and we are adamant that more will be revealed regarding the reported robberies,” commented the provincial police commissioner, Lt Gen Semakaleng Manamela.
