Three suspects, aged between 31 and 38, were arrested following a high-speed chase with police after they allegedly hijacked a courier bakkie in Qumbu, Eastern Cape.
Provincial spokesperson Captain Welile Matyolo said police received information on Thursday about a hijacking in the Machibini area, and they responded immediately.
Matyolo said police spotted the vehicle, and a chase ensued, which led the suspects to abandon the bakkie and flee on foot.
“Police successfully apprehended all three male suspects. Upon searching the suspects, members have recovered two unlicensed firearms and ammunition. The hijacked vehicle was recovered with all the goods and was confiscated by police,” Matyolo said.
The suspects are facing charges of hijacking, possession of unlicensed firearms, and ammunition.
The trio will appear in the Qumbu Magistrate Court on July 1, 2024.
The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) and police officers confiscated illicit cigarettes with an estimated street value of R8 million on South Africa’s border with Botswana.
“Reports suggest that police responded on Tuesday, June 25, 2024, to a call by members of the SANDF who were patrolling along the Botswana/South Africa borderline, near Makgobistad. That was after they spotted a suspicious truck, which apparently stopped due a deflated tyre,” said provincial police spokesperson in North West, Colonel Adele Myburgh.
As members of the SANDF approached the truck to investigate further, a man got out of the vehicle, jumped the fence into the territory of Botswana and fled on foot.
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