‘They’re undercover’ – Motorists urged not to be afraid of cops stationed on M1 South

Johannesburg Metro Police (JMPD) said drivers along the Crown mines interchange on the M1 should not be alarmed by the presence of undercover police around that area.

This comes after a voice note that had circulated on Wednesday warning motorists that the Zama Zamas that had wreaked havoc on Main Reef Road had returned there again.

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False alarm

“The person who sent that voice note was mistaken, we have officers who have been deployed there from our tactical response unit – its an undercover unit,” JMPD spokesperson Xolani Fihla said.

He said police will continue to monitor the area for suspicious activities.

On Tuesday another voice note was circulated warning motorists about multiple robberies near the Crown Mine interchange.

Tuesday’s terror

This is what the voice note said: “Guys I do not know who is on the M1 just after Gold Reef City. There are five guys walking around with nine millimetre [guns] in their hands literally robbing car after car. It was a horrific scene to watch [them] targeting female drivers in their cars. I do not know what it is and what is going on it’s a mess people are panicking. They are crashing their cars into the barrier lane because they are afraid. They are being robbed.”

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Meanwhile, Fihla said eight male suspects were arrested, with one of them sustaining serious injuries, on Tuesday after an exchange of gunfire with JMPD officers. The group was part of the suspected M1 robbers at the Crown Mine interchange.

“All the arrested suspects consisting of South African and Lesotho nationals were detained at Primrose Saps and charged with attempted murder, possession of unlicensed firearms and illegal mining. The JMPD Acting Chief of Police Angie Mokasi has commended the valiant efforts shown by the officers in tackling this scourge of illegal mining,” Fihla said.