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ZIWAPHI • VOL 4 NO 4 • 26 FEBRUARY 11 MARCH 2010

KOMATIPOORT,

By Thabisile Khoza

Fed-up residents of living near the Mozambican border in Mpumalanga ambushed and beat a suspected gang of eight hijackers on Friday morning.

One of the suspects died while the other seven were taken to Tonga hospital for treatment.

A member of the community who didn’t want to be named said a syndicate had been terrorising the community for several months.

“We ambushed them after they were seen driving around a local shopping plaza in three Golf GTIs with Free State, Gauteng and North West registration plates on Thursday,” he said.

He said the suspects parked their cars next to the taxi rank and were seen playing an indigenous game called ntjuba with some of taxi drivers.

“We got suspicious when we heard them receiving international calls and speaking Portuguese, Shangaan and Siswati about whether cars had landed on not,” he said.

He said the suspects were also overheard planning to rob a store at the Naas Plaza that night.

“We then ambushed them and arrested when they were trying to break into one of the retail stores at about 3am,” said the source.

He said the suspects, who allegedly had tools to break into buildings, showed their ambushers the houses where they had stolen cars.

“They said the cars are already in Mozambique in Shokwe village outside Maputo,” he said.

Police were called to scene to make a proper arrest after the suspects had been beaten.

Spokesperson for Tonga Police Station, Sergeant Mzwandile Nyambi said on Friday that when police arrived at the taxi rank, eight injured people were lying down on the ground.

“We called an ambulances to come and rescue them, unfortunately one of them was certified dead on the scene,” said Nyambi.

Nyambi praised the community for apprehending the suspects, but criticised them for assaulting them.

“We don’t encourage people to take the law into their hands because they will end up in jail,” he said.

Nyambi said those responsible for killing the suspect would be arrested soon to face murder charges.

He said the suspects had confessed that they are responsible for a string of robberies in the broader Nkomazi area, which borders Swaziland and Mozambique.

“They also confessed to us that they are responsible for a recent house robbery in which a Volvo and a double cab were stolen from the house of a ward councillor in Schoemansdal,” he said.

They were found in the possession of a hacksaw, hammer, cutting torch and other items used during the robberies.

They will appear in the Tonga Magistrate’s Court for trial.

Three more suspected members were arrested on Sunday night, while one died during a shootout with the police. Police spoksesperson Sergeant Mzwandile Nyambi said the suspects had confessed that they were responsible for a string of vehicle thefts and other robberies in the broader Nkomazi area, which borders Swaziland and Mozambique.