North West road rage suspects arrested after murder of elderly couple
The suspects are expected to appear in the Rustenburg magistrate's court on Thursday, facing two counts of murder. The arrests also led to the recovery of a vehicle and a firearm connected to the shooting.
'The arrest of the two suspects, aged 29 and 41, is a result of crime intelligence work in identifying, locating and tracking the vehicle used to flee from the crime scene,' police spokesperson Col Adele Myburgh said.
'The vehicle was traced, found and seized at Ndamoyi, Boitekong.'
Upon being questioned by the police, the first suspect conceded that on that day he was travelling in and driving the Kia Rio car identified and he was with his friend, who was the one who allegedly shot the couple before they fled the scene.
Myburgh said he later took the police to Rustenburg East, where his accomplice lived. 'The police, upon arrival, found the second person who showed them a pistol. The suspect was placed under arrest and the firearm was seized.'
North West acting police commissioner Maj-Gen Patrick Asaneng said the swift arrests should send a strong message to those who commit crime that the police will track them down and they will have no place to hide.
TimesLIVE
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Mail & Guardian
an hour ago
- Mail & Guardian
Controversial rhino breeder John Hume in dock on charges of rhino horn trafficking
John Hume (left) and his co-accused in court. (@CrimeWatch_RSA/X) The former breeder and owner of the world's largest captive rhino operation, The Hume is the former founder and owner of the Platinum Rhino Conservation Enterprise. The arrests — the result of a complex seven-year investigation — come eight years after he successfully challenged the government's 2009 moratorium on the domestic trade of rhino horn in 2017. After investigations by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation's (the Hawks') wildlife trafficking section of the Serious Organised Crime Investigation Unit, the six handed themselves over at the Pretoria Central police station on Tuesday, where they were formally arrested. They appeared before the Pretoria Magistrate's Court where all six were granted bail, said Lumka Mahanjana, the NPA's regional spokesperson. Authorities have alleged that the syndicate used a web of fraudulent permit schemes, exploiting South Africa's domestic trading regulations under the National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act, to mask horn exports destined for Southeast Asia. This is despite international bans under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora. Under South African law, domestic trade in rhino horn is legal with valid permits. Hume was granted R100 000 bail, Melville and Van Niekerk were each granted R10 000 bail while Du Toit, Poggenpoel and Hennop received R20 000 bail, Mahanjana said. Collectively, they face 55 charges of multiple counts of racketeering, fraud, contravention of the national biodiversity Act, contravention of contravention of the Riotous Assemblies Act, theft and money laundering. In 2009, the government introduced a moratorium on the domestic trade in rhino horn. In subsequent years, Hume and Johan Kruger, another private rhino owner, challenged the moratorium through the courts. In April 2017, the Constitutional Court 'It is alleged that between 2017 and 2024, the accused operated an international rhino horn trafficking syndicate and defrauded the department of forestry, fisheries, and the environment,' said Mahanjana. 'They allegedly obtained permits to trade rhino horn locally, while intending to channel the horns into illegal international markets in Southeast Asia. The fraudulent scheme is estimated to involve 964 rhino horns valued at R250 million.' The investigation began in 2017 and uncovered a sophisticated scheme in which the suspects allegedly defrauded the department to secure permits under false pretences, said Hawks spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Christopher Singo. Through their affidavits, Melville disclosed to the court that he has a 2019 fraud conviction and being in possession and transporting rhino horns where he was sentenced to pay a fine. In May 2019, Melville and Petrus Stephanus Steyn were arrested in one of the largest rhino horn seizures in the country when they were caught transporting 167 rhino horns illegally. They stated they were transporting the horns on behalf of Hume to another location in Gauteng, but lacked the necessary permits for their travel through North West province. The pair entered into a plea agreement and were sentenced in June 2020. On Tuesday, Poggenpoel disclosed to the court that he has a 2009 conviction of possession of a rhino horn and paid an admission of guilt fee of R2 500, Mahanjana said. He also disclosed that he has a pending case on 17 September in the Winburg Magistrate's Court because, during the visit to his residence, the investigation team found ammunition that was not locked away in a safe and alleged scheduled medicine without a permit. The state advocate, Patsy Jacobs, read into the record an affidavit by the investigating officer, Edward Du Plessis, confirming that the state did not oppose bail because the accused were not flight risks, their addresses had been verified and they had cooperated with investigators. But the state requested bail conditions, which the court granted. These include that all accused must surrender their passports and may not apply for new travel documents while the matter is pending. They must report to their nearest police station once a week. They may not interfere with investigations, tamper with evidence or influence witnesses and must not commit any offences while on bail. Nina Fascione, the executive director of the 'This is not just a single incident but a process of criminality that has been insidiously going on for years and stimulating illegal supply channels from Africa. It is the equivalent of white collar crime rather than the armed robbery of poaching and must be treated as such.' Fascione added that removal of rhino horn from the stockpile of this magnitude 'raises serious concerns' about South Africa's systems to monitor stockpiles, issue permits and detect trafficked contraband at their ports of exit. 'This incident underscores the urgent need for far more robust and effective systems not only to secure stockpiles, but also to shut down the channels through which poached horn continues to leave South Africa,' Fascione said. Cathy Dean, the grants lead at 'Every horn trafficked represents not only a threat to rhinos and the ecosystems they call home, but also fuels wider organised crime, exploiting people and communities throughout the chain of criminal activity,' she said. 'We commend the commitment shown by South Africa's enforcement agencies and their partners to this case.' Disrupting transnational organised crime is essential to stopping poaching, allowing populations to recover and ensuring rhinos have a future in the wild, Shaw said. In September 2023, African Parks took ownership of Hume's ranch and the estimated 2 000 rhinos, planning to rewild the rhinos over the following decade. Save the Rhino said African Parks did not buy Hume's rhino horn stockpile. 'It is not known whether John Hume retained ownership of this, or whether he sold them separately to another buyer/other buyers.' Forestry, Fisheries and Environment Minister 'This complex investigation, which was also supported by the Green Scorpions and the NPA, is a powerful demonstration of South Africa's resolve to protect its natural heritage,' the minister said. The Hawks' breakthrough was evidence of real progress in dismantling international networks responsible for driving rhino poaching. 'We will not rest until we have broken the back of the syndicates operating in our country,' he said. The matter was postponed to 9 December for further investigations.

The Herald
8 hours ago
- The Herald
Life Esidimeni families urge swift prosecution of those responsible
The Life Esidimeni families have expressed concern that almost 10 years after the deaths of 144 mental healthcare users and more than a year since an inquest judgment into their deaths, there is still no decision on the prosecution of those responsible. The patients who died were among the 1,711 mentally ill people who were transferred from Life Esidimeni facilities in 2015 and 2016 to ill-prepared non-governmental organisations. The families on Tuesday met the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), represented by acting director of public prosecutions Marika Jansen van Vuuren. The families said the meeting followed years of delays in the decision to prosecute those responsible for the deaths. The NPA told the families it had received a legal opinion that recommended prosecution of former Gauteng health MEC Qedani Mahlangu and former director of mental health Dr Makgabo Manamela. 'However, the legal opinion recommends prosecutions for the deaths of only two people: Mr Terence Chaba and Ms Virginia Machpelah,' the families said. The NPA informed the families that a team of prosecutors had been formed to assess both the legal opinion and the extensive evidence already presented at the inquest to make a final decision on prosecution. The meeting this week comes after the NPA announced last year it was in the process of making a thorough, well-informed decision on the matter. The announcement last year was made in response to a demand for justice and accountability for Life Esidimeni victims made by public interest law centre Section27. The families said a decision to criminally prosecute all those whose actions caused the deaths was what they had demanded all along. 'In this regard we feel vindicated and welcome the NPA's movement towards a decision. However, almost 10 years after the deaths and over a year since the inquest judgment, there is still no decision on prosecution, even after a legal opinion.' They said by limiting accountability to only two deaths, it felt as if the NPA was sending a message that the other 142 deaths did not matter, and said that was not justice. 'It reflects a failure to honour the pain of the families and the dignity of those who died. It amounts to protecting those responsible, rather than holding them fully accountable.' The families said they believed there was overwhelming evidence that had been presented in multiple formal processes to charge more people. These included the health ombudsman's report in 2017 which exposed the gross human rights violations, unlawful transfers and neglect that led to the tragedy. There was also an arbitration presided over by former deputy chief justice Dikgang Moseneke who found that the government had acted unlawfully, recklessly and with disregard for human life. Moseneke ordered compensation for families while affirming the state's liability. The families said the inquest presided over by judge Mmonoa Teffo established in July last year that there was prima facie evidence linking Mahlangu and Manamela to multiple unlawful deaths, highlighting systemic negligence and criminal liability. 'Taken together, these processes, combined with the unrelenting calls from and evidence provided by families over nearly a decade, constitute an undeniable body of evidence.' The families demanded that the NPA immediately consider not only the inquest judgment and legal opinion but the mountain of evidence that formed part of the inquest record, including from the arbitration, and recognise the urgent need for a prosecution that reflected the full scale of the tragedy. TimesLIVE

The Herald
8 hours ago
- The Herald
Six rhino horn syndicate suspects granted bail
Five men and a woman accused of being involved in the trafficking of 964 rhino horns valued at R250m were granted bail by the Pretoria magistrate's court on Tuesday. John Frederick Hume, 83, founder and owner of the Platinum Rhino Conservation Enterprise, was granted R100,000 bail. The director of a nonprofit organisation, Elizabeth Catharina Van Niekerk, 58, and transport maintenance manager Clive John Mervan Melville, 63, were granted R10,000 bail each while attorney Izak Hermanus du Toit, 50, insurance broker Mattheus Hendrikus Wessels Poggenpoel, 37, and game reserve manager Johannes Abraham Hennop, 52, were each granted R20,000 bail. 'They are collectively facing a total of 55 charges of multiple counts of racketeering, fraud, contravention of the National Environmental Management Act, contravention of the Riotous Assemblies Act, theft and money laundering,' the National Prosecuting Authority and the Hawks said in a joint statement. It is alleged that between 2017 and 2024, the accused operated an international rhino horn trafficking syndicate and defrauded the department of forestry, fisheries and the environment (DFFE). 'They allegedly obtained permits to trade rhino horn locally, while intending to channel the horns into illegal international markets in Southeast Asia.' The fraudulent scheme was estimated to involve 964 rhino horns valued at R250m. After intensive investigations by the Hawks, the six handed themselves over at the Pretoria Central police station on Tuesday, where they were formally arrested. 'During bail proceedings, they all asked to be released on bail because they were not flight risks and had co-operated with the police.' In his affidavit, Melville disclosed that he had a 2019 conviction for fraud and for being in possession of and transporting rhino horns. He was sentenced to pay a fine. Poggenpoel disclosed that he had a 2009 conviction for possession of a rhino horn and had paid an admission of guilt fine of R2,500. 'Poggenpoel also disclosed that he will be appearing on September 17 at Winburg magistrate's court because during the visit to his residence, the investigation team found ammunition that was not locked away in a safe and supposedly scheduled medicine without a permit.' The state did not oppose bail. The court granted bail and ordered the accused to surrender their passports and not apply for new travel documents while the case was pending. The court ordered the accused to report to their nearest police station once a week, and instructed that they may not interfere with investigations, tamper with evidence or influence witnesses. The matter was postponed to December 9 for further investigations. TimesLIVE