POLOKWANE – Joosuf Pemma was driving in Buys Street when he saw a suspicious looking vehicle parked on the side of the road. As he approached the vehicle he saw a man coming out of the bushes next to the Sand River and he was carrying a plasma TV screen.
According to Pemma, when the man saw him, he quickly walked to the vehicle and got into the car at the back passenger side.
“The guys were acting out of the ordinary so I stopped my car next to the vehicle and as I got out, the driver started the car and got ready to drive off. Without thinking and I walked to the vehicle and put my hand through the window and took the key out of the ignition. At the time I did not stop and think of the possibility that they were armed, I was just focused at stopping them from getting away. As soon as I switched off the car and pulled the keys out of the ignition, the guy that was sitting at the back, jumped out of the vehicle and ran away. The other guy was trapped in the vehicle because I was standing by the door,” Pemma said.
Pemma explained that when the man realised he was in trouble he pleaded with him that he knew nothing and that he was only a taxi driver.
“I told the man that he will have to explain his story to the police. I called the police and the man was arrested.”
Capt Mohlaka Mashiane, the Westenburg Police Spokesperson, confirmed that the suspect was arrested. The police confiscated the vehicle.
“The suspect will appear in the Polokwane Magistrate’s Court soon. We urge metered taxi drivers not to transport criminals and suspected stolen goods, because it is a criminal offence and they will be arrested and face the full might of the law. We applaud the community for working with the police in fighting crime in our communities. Through the partnership we have with the community, we are able to catch criminals and route them out of our communities, getting positive results,” Mashiane said.
