In an operation praised by the head of provincial police, alert Grahamstown (Makhanda) police officers attending an accident scene in the early hours of Monday 10 September arrested six men, confiscating firearms and ammunition.
A truck overturned on the N2 near Sevenfountains late Sunday night, blocking the road for several hours. Members of the Grahamstown Highway Patrol were busy at the scene when they noticed a BMW approaching and stopped it, police spokesperson Captain Mali Govender said. There were six occupants.
“The members searched the vehicle and found an undisclosed amount of cash and airtime vouchers,” Govender said. “Two 9mm pistols, several 9mm rounds and a toy gas gun were also found in the vehicle and seized.”
Govender said preliminary investigations suggested that the suspects were possibly linked to a robbery that took place yesterday in the province.
The suspects face several charges including possession of unlicensed firearms and unlawful possession of ammunition.
“This is the kind of work we are expecting from all our highway patrols,” said Eastern Cape Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant-General Liziwe Ntshinga. “Well done to the Grahamstown Highway Patrol. As a result of your vigilance, a robbery [may have]been solved within 24 hrs. It is best practice that when a robbery is reported, all highway patrols must be vigilant.”
With regard to the incident of the overturned truck, a case of reckless and/or negligent driving was opened and the road was finally cleared at 4.30am.
