On Wednesday, 6 April 2022, at about 13:20, the vigilant Rustenburg Highway Patrol officers, working on the N4 road close to Swartruggens, spotted a suspicious black Mercedes Benz vehicle, which was suspected to be involved in the commission of an armed robbery in Zeerust, reported earlier the same day at about 13:00.

The vehicle was pulled over and four suspects were arrested after they failed to give account for a firearm and an undisclosed amount of money found in their possession. The accused, namely; Anoch Lebeloane (46); Amogelang Mokhuku (29); Ofentse Peter Dekweli (29) and Zack Francisco Sithole (26) appeared before the Swartruggens Magistrates’ Court on Friday, 8 April 2022, for possession of an unlicensed firearm and suspected stolen cash. They were remanded in custody until their next court appearance on Tuesday, 12 April 2022.

The accused allegedly robbed two victims who were inside a bank in Zeerust. The victims were about to deposit money when a suspect pointed them with a firearm, then grabbed their bags containing an undisclosed amount of money and finally fled out of the bank. The suspects’ information was communicated to the police by security officers who managed to identify a get-away vehicle that fled from the scene.

The Provincial Commissioner of North West, Lieutenant General Sello Kwena commended the security guards for their active involvement in identifying the suspects’ vehicle which culminated in the arrest.

Source: South African Police Service