The three police officers accused of being part of a cash-in-transit heist syndicate in Mpumalanga have been granted bail. The officers and three of the four civilians have been released on bail of R5000 each. One of the civilians, a foreign national, abandoned his bail application. The three officers have been suspended from the White River Flying Squad following their arrest.
The seven suspects are facing charges of possession of illegal firearms and explosives, robbery, and attempted murder, among others. They were arrested two months ago and have been in police custody ever since. The officers were arrested after allegedly being found transporting illegal firearms in their official vehicles on the N4-toll road near the Nkomazi toll plaza in August.
One of the firearms was found to have been stolen from the Malamulele police station in Limpopo two years ago. The civilians were arrested after a cash-in-transit heist in Nkomazi, where R8000 in coins was stolen. The magistrate, Mduduzi Nkosi, said there is no evidence linking the suspects to the crimes.
“All applicants, the court has considered all real and circumstantial evidence, and the court has considered all evidence by all parties. The court has considered all charges by the appellants. All applicants, numbers 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7, have successfully convinced this court that there are exceptional circumstances for admitting them on bail.”
Mpumalanga NPA spokesperson, Monica Nyuswa say they respect the court’s decision.
”The National Prosecuting Authority respects the court’s decision to give the accused bail on strict conditions. Bail doesn’t mean acquittal; it is an amount of money paid by the accused to secure their court appearance until the matter is finalized. So, what is going to happen from now on is that the NPA and the police will work very closely, then close the investigations and proceed with trial.”
The matter has been postponed and transferred to the Malalane Magistrate’s Court. All seven accused will return to court on the 6th of December.
