Perseverance paid off for Bluff cops who arrested two robbers and recovered the cell phone and money of a man who had been robbed by two men at knifepoint.
Brighton Beach crime prevention unit members W/O JJ Sonnekus, Csts Thando Qwabe, Sikhumbuzo Mkhize and Sizwe Ngwababane were conducting a stop and search operation in the late afternoon of Tuesday, 23 June, when a man waved them down, indicating he had been robbed of his mobile phone and cash by two men.
Armed with a description of the men, WO Sonnekus and his members searched for the criminals, enquiring from passersby if they had seen the men. Their enquiries proved fruitless until a motorist directed them to an informal settlement in Sirdar Road. While they knocked on the doors of several homes, in search of the suspects, they passed one home where the door was open. They found two men sitting on a bed who matched the description of the wanted robbers. They were counting cash, and had in their possession a mobile  phone which fitted the description of the complainant’s phone.
The complainant confirmed they were the men who held him up with a knife. He proved the phone was his by entering his PIN and the amount of cash found in their possession was the exact amount stolen from the complainant.
The men were arrested and charged with armed robbery.  The  men, aged 36 and  23, appeared in Durban regional court on 24 June and will make a second appearance in June.
The members were commended by SAPS Brighton Beach management for their perseverance in tracking and tracing the perpetrators.
PHOTO CAPTION: Cst Thando Qwabe, W/O JJ Sonnekus, (front) Cst Sikhumbuzo Mkhize and Cst Sizwe Ngwababane of the Brighton Beach SAPS crime prevention unit.
