AK47 wielding robbery suspect assaulted by community members
An AK-47 wielding suspect was reportedly assaulted by community members at Kamaqhekeza near Tonga on 20 July 2023.
According to information at around 21:45 the suspect was trying to commit business robbery at a certain pub grill with a firearm. People who were inside are said to have cornered him and apprehended him after severely assaulting him. It later transpired that the firearm he was holding did not have any ammunition.
Police were called to the scene as well as Emergency Medical Service Personnel.
The man was arrested and charged with attempted business robbery. The AK-47 rifle was confiscated for further investigation meanwhile the suspect was taken to hospital for medical treatment and is currently under police guard. The firearm will undergo ballistic testing to determine whether it was not used in the commission of crime elsewhere. Police cannot rule out the possibility of adding more charges against the suspect as the investigation continues.
The suspect will appear in the Nkomazi Magistrate’s Court soon.
The Provincial Commissioner of the SAPS in Mpumalanga, Lieutenant General Semakaleng Daphney Manamela has welcomed the arrest and urged with the community not to take the law into their own hands however appreciated the man’s arrest as well as the confiscation of the illegal weapon.
Source: South African Police Service