Murder-accused fugitive re-arrested at Hoedspruit hideout
Thabo Ali Malobela escaped custody in September and stands accused of a shooting spree involving his wife, child and other relatives.
LIMPOPO – A 35-year-old man who escaped from police custody at the Sekororo Hospital on September 20 has been re-arrested by Limpopo police.
Thabo Ali Malobela now faces a charge of escaping lawful custody in addition to two murder cases and four counts of attempted murder.
Police spokesperson Colonel Malesela Ledwaba said Malobela was re-arrested on Tuesday night at his hideout in an abandoned house in Sedawa village following an intelligence-led operation by Hoedspruit detectives after receiving a tip-off.
Read more: Fugitive who shot himself during arrest wanted by Limpopo police
“The accused escaped a week after his initial arrest where he had shot himself in the process. At the time, police officers managed to swiftly disarm him and rushed him to hospital for medical treatment. He was under police guard when he escaped,” Ledwaba explained.
Molobela was initially arrested after he went on a shooting spree on August 19 in Makgophong village, Magatle that resulted in two deaths and four injuries. Among the victims were his wife, their child and other relatives.
“The suspect appeared before the Lenyenye Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday and his case was postponed to October 11 for further investigations. He has been transferred to Mokopane where he will appear on other charges. The circumstances surrounding the escape are still being investigated,” he said.
The provincial police commissioner Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe lauded the team responsible for Molobela’s re-arrest for “working tirelessly around the clock to ensure the accused is tracked down and put behind bars where he belongs.”
