Three men aged between 23 and 40 were remanded in custody pending a formal bail application. The men, Bongumusa Mtshweni, Samuel Mthimunye and Xolile Hadebe appeared at the Witbank Magistrate’s Court today after they were arrested within minutes of having carried out an armed robbery at a filling station. They allegedly accosted staff members at the filling station at gun point and robbed an undisclosed amount of cash as well as cigarettes before fleeing the scene.

Members of the South African Police Service in Witbank responded swiftly after having received a complaint of the incident which reportedly took place around 15:30 yesterday, 01 January 2019. Within minutes they (police) soon spotted a vehicle similar to the one used by the suspects as a getaway vehicle and pounced on it. The trio were found in possession of a firearm, cash and cigarette cartons and were arrested, hence their appearance in court today. They were rescheduled to appear at the same court on 09 January 2019 facing charges of robbery (business) and possession of firearm without a licence.

The Provincial Commissioner of the police in Mpumalanga, Lieutenant General Mondli Zuma appreciated the members for their swift response which ensured that the villains are bagged as a matter of extreme urgency, thereby strengthening the notion that our members are committed to creating a safe and secure environment for our communities.

Source: South African Police Service