MOKOPANE – The four men arrested for road-spiking incidents along the R101 and N1 were set to apply for bail today (September 17).
National Prosecuting Authority Limpopo spokesperson Mashudu Malabi-Dzhangi said the court’s recording machine failed to work.
“They appeared in the Mokopane Magistrate’s Court, but as a result of the broken recording machine, the suspects were remanded in custody. They will again appear in the same court on October 1 for bail proceedings,” she explained.
Two of the men were arrested on September 6 when members of the Mokopane Crime Prevention Unit, aided by the Modimolle K9 and Mokopane Crime Intelligence units, various detectives and members of the private sector tracked them down.
Read more: Members of N1 and R101 road-spiking gang nabbed
The suspects were arrested near Ysterberg along the N1 and police spokesperson Motlafela Mojapelo at the time said police found spikes, a firearm and ammunition as well as a pair of pliers in their possession.
They were believed to be part of a gang of four men, and investigations led the team to Gauteng.
Two more suspects were arrested in Mabopane outside Pretoria on September 7. “One of the arrested suspects is employed as a security guard at a security company in the Waterberg area. The second suspect is an undocumented foreign national,” Mojapelo said previously.
Also read: Limpopo road-spiking gang: Two more arrested in Gauteng
A Facebook post by the Heritage Protection Group said for the past month, every weekend from Friday night to Sunday night, the gang put welded spikes in the road.
“They place sharp objects on the road, resulting in the victims experiencing punctures and being forced to stop to change their tyres. They then attack the victims and rob them of their belongings at gun point,” added Mojapelo.
The men face two counts of robbery with aggravating circumstances, three counts of being illegal immigrants, as well as the unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition.
