LIMPOPO – A 51-year-old police Sergeant attached to the Senwabarwana police station was, in the early hours of this morning, rescued by the local community after the police vehicle he was driving in was trapped in floodwater along the Machaba – Avon Marobjana road in ga-Kgoshi Maleboho.
According to police spokesperson, Col Moatshe Ngoepe, the Sergeant was part of a team who responded to business robberies in progress at two schools in Machaba village.
You might also want to read: Mankweng, Moletjie and Seshego hardest hit by heavy rains, says Muni
“Police received a call about an unknown number of suspects who tied up security officers on duty at Ralekwalane High School and stole three laptops. The alleged suspects then proceeded to Machaba Primary School where they took one laptop and two projectors,” Ngoepe explained.
Police, using three vehicles, arrived at the said schools within minutes and began investigations as the suspects had already fled the scene, despite the heavy rains in the area last night.
“The vehicle driven by the sergeant was trapped in water flooding the gravel road he was travelling on and he managed to climb on top of it. Local residents, realizing the danger he was in, bravely swam towards the stranded member and rescued him just in time, before the police vehicle was swept away,” Ngoepe said.
Provincial Commissioner of the Police in Limpopo, Lieutenant General Nneke Ledwaba has thanked residents in the area for coming to the rescue.
“The cordial relationship that we have created continues to strengthen the relationship between ourselves and communities was clearly manifested by these acts of bravery,” concluded General Ledwaba.
The suspects in these business robberies are still at large and a manhunt is already underway to trace them.