A motorist was robbed at gunpoint at Crown Interchange during peak traffic in Johannesburg on Tuesday. (Included)
PAuthorities have confirmed the arrest of eight suspected illegal miners following a major robbery of motorists on a congested Johannesburg motorway on Tuesday, but have not linked them to the crime. Not yet.
Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) spokesperson Zolani Fihula said in a statement: “We cannot confirm that the eight suspects arrested in Germiston yesterday are directly connected to the incident on the M1 motorway.” .
On Tuesday, police received distressing reports from motorists stuck in peak hour traffic near the Crown Interchange that gunmen were robbing their vehicles at gunpoint.
In a widely circulated audio memo, the voice of a distressed driver can be heard describing the scene on the highway.
“Five guys walking around with 9mm guns.” [pistols] They literally robbed cars one after another. It's a mess. People are overreacting and driving their cars into fenced lanes because they're afraid of being robbed in their cars. Please send an emergency vehicle. People are being terrorized in cars. ”
When the suspects arrived at the scene, they fled on foot into a nearby illegal mine shaft, police said. Tactical response units were dispatched to search for the suspect and a gunfight broke out.
The eight suspects were arrested near Main Leaf Road and Shamrock Street in Primrose, Germiston.
“As support from South African Police Service (SAPS) Primrose, Flying Squad and Air Wing arrived, officers entered a vacant lot and found a man lying on the ground with injuries, holding a rifle next to him. “Officers arrested seven more suspects,” Fila said.
The suspects have been charged with attempted murder, possession of unlicensed firearms and illegal mining and are expected to appear in court this week, a SAPS spokesperson said. Mail and Guardian.
Police are appealing to motorists who were victims of Tuesday's robbery to report the incident to assist with the verification process.
Johannesburg Mayor's Public Safety Committee member Mguchini Tswaku said in a video statement that motorway patrols and JMPD will be deployed to major crime hotspots in Johannesburg for the safety of motorists.
“We are making sure that JMPD members are stationed at these hot spots where there are bridges and road access to make sure no one has easy access to the road,” Zwak said. Told.
The National Police Agency said reports that the driver was robbed again at the same location on Wednesday morning were untrue.
Tuesday's incident occurred a day after Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi said in his State of the State address on Monday that law enforcement was winning the fight against illegal miners in the province.