Another suspect arrested in connection with OR Tambo 'airport-follow' robberies
25 October 2017
Johannesburg - Another suspect was arrested in the so-called "airport-follow" robberies, Gauteng police said on Wednesday.
John Kabelane, 32, appeared in the Wynberg Magistrate's Court in Alexandra on Tuesday, said police spokesperson Brigadier Vishnu Naidoo.
His matter was postponed to Monday for a formal bail application.
Since October 13, officers arrested seven suspects - three of them were questioned and released, and four were charged and kept in custody.
The four suspects are Mandla Dlamini, 23, Nqobile Moyo, 35, Frank Mudau, 35 and Martin Sibanda, 37.
Their matter was postponed to November 1.
"Some of the charges the suspects are facing include armed robbery and possession of property suspected to be stolen," said Naidoo.
Manager arrested
On Monday October 16, Mafoko Security Patrols distanced itself from the arrest of one of its managers alleged to be involved in the robberies.
"We had no prior knowledge of their actions and we were not aware that our vehicles were misused for the commission of these crimes," the company said in a statement at the time.
Naidoo said the breakthrough of the arrests came on Friday evening, October 13.
Acting on information, the police team monitored a security vehicle, which is contracted to work at OR Tambo International Airport (Ortia), and discovered it was following a sedan from Ortia, travelling toward Sandton, News24 previously reported.
Officers stopped the security vehicle with two men inside.
Naidoo said one of the men, a security manager, was wanted for a case of possession of an unlicensed firearm and an armed robbery in the Limpopo province. Both were arrested on the scene.
The security company said the two men acted in their own personal capacity and that the men were not deployed to the airport.
"Their line of work does not include that particular site. The alleged 'security company manager' was deployed elsewhere and his line of work required that he be provided with a marked security vehicle at all times, a privilege which he has clearly abused."
