NOORDWESTER – SWARTRUGGENS - A multi-disciplinary team consisting of the Swartruggens and Bojanala Sub-District 2 Detectives Task Team, Rustenburg Crime Intelligence, Rustenburg Public Order Police (POP) and the Rustenburg Tactical Response Team (TRT) arrested two suspects, aged 35 and 36, following the linkage to house robbery, theft, murder and kidnapping, which occurred in a small holding outside Swartruggens on Monday, 10 June.
The suspects were arrested at Swartruggens and Rustenburg respectively. According to reports, four suspects allegedly entered a farm outside Swartruggens on Monday morning and killed Elizabeth Maseloane (61) who was alone in the house. The victim’s husband, aged 71, was also accosted by the suspects and took him to the main house, where they ransacked and loaded household items onto two bakkies.
They then proceeded to kidnap the husband in one of the bakkies and left. Several household items were taken to a shack belonging to the 34-year-old woman at an informal settlement outside Swartruggens. The 71-year-old victim managed to escape by jumping out of the moving vehicle, then fled and alerted nearby farmers who contacted the police.
Subsequent to investigation, the suspect was arrested in the early hours of Wednesday morning, 12 June, after being found in possession of suspected stolen items. She was expected to appear before the Swartruggens Magistrates’ Court on Friday, 14 June.
Consequent to intensive investigations, a 35-year-old man was apprehended on Friday, 14 June, at Swartruggens Magistrates’ Court where he was appearing for housebreaking and theft, allegedly committed in April. At the time of the arrest, the suspect was on bail.
The second suspect was arrested at his residence in Rustenburg in the early hours of Saturday morning, 15 June, during a Crime Intelligence driven operation. That’s after he failed to account for suspected stolen vehicle found in his possession. The vehicle belonged to the Swartruggens house robbery victims.
Further investigations resulted in the arrest of a 30-year-old female who is the 35-year-old suspect’s girlfriend on Friday, 14 June. The suspect was expected to appear before the Swartruggens Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, 18 June.
In another arrest relating to the same matter, a 45-year-old suspect was expected to appear before the Mogwase Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, 18 June 2024, for possession of suspected stolen goods and unlawful possession of firearms.
The suspect, who is also a pastor, was arrested on Sunday, 16 June, at Mogwase while he was conducting a church service, after being found in possession of two firearms that were taken during the commission of the crime. Meanwhile, a manhunt is underway for the remaining suspect/s. The Provincial Police Commissioner, Lieutenant General Sello Kwena, thanked all the units involved for the tireless efforts that led to the arrests.
