Pretoria – The Hawks have arrested four foreign nationals in connection with the Modderbult farm murders.

Two Nigerian nationals and two Mozambicans were arrested after a manS his wife and both his parents, were found murdered at their farm house in Modderbult on Tuesday.

Hawks spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Robert Netshiunda said the suspects were arrested at a nearby town in possession of laptops belonging to the victims.

“While continuing with the investigations, the officers spotted a vehicle which also belonged to one of the deceased. Two men were spotted getting into the vehicle and when the police introduced themselves a shootout ensued.

“The suspects were overpowered. One of them sustained injuries during the exchange of fire and is currently in hospital,” Netshiunda said.

The two Nigerian nationals, aged 20 and 30 years, will appear before the Balfour Magistrate’s Court today, facing charges of possession of suspected stolen property.

The Mozambican duo, aged 26 and 36 years, will be in the dock on Thursday, as they face four counts of murder, illegal possession of firearm and possession of suspected stolen vehicle.

The National Head of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, Lieutenant General Mthandazo Ntlemeza, expressed his sadness on the incident but was quick to applaud the officers for a swift arrest.

He said the investigation must leave no stone unturned to ensure that justice is served accordingly.

“These are ugly scenes and perpetrators have no place in our society. Farm attacks are one of our priorities and we will dig very deep to establish the motive of the killings and ensure that those responsible for this heinous crime receive the harshest punishment,” Ntlemeza said.

Source: South African Government News Agency.