Hijacked VW Polo found a day later, abandoned in Mpumalanga bushes

A passenger was shot and injured when this Volkswagen Polo was hijacked. Picture: SAPS

A passenger was shot and injured when this Volkswagen Polo was hijacked. Picture: SAPS

Published Aug 6, 2022

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Pretoria - Police in Mpumalanga have recovered a vehicle, a Volkswagen Polo which was hijacked in an incident where a passenger was shot and injured on Thursday.

“SAPS members from Visible Policing at Bushbuckridge received some information regarding a vehicle parked in the bushes between Masakeng and London Trust on Friday, August 5, 2022 at around 10am,” said Mpumalanga police spokesperson Brigadier Selvy Mohlala.

“The details were followed by the men and women in blue and upon arrival they found a white VW Polo with Gauteng registration number plates. On further verification the men discovered that the vehicle was hijacked on Thursday, August 4, 2022 at Mhala, whereby a 32-year-old passenger was shot and injured,” he said.

Mohlala said the shot passenger was taken to hospital for medical treatment shortly after the incident. The owner of the vehicle, who was driving at the time of the hijacking, was not harmed during the ordeal.

Provincial commissioner of police in Mpumalanga, Lieutenant General Semakaleng Daphney Manamela has saluted community members for the tip-off and the “unwavering support” to the police in fighting crime.

“Without the support from our communities, it is hard to make such achievements in our efforts of eradicating crime. The recovery of the vehicle does not mean that the investigation is completed.

“We are still in pursuit of the suspects, therefore, we still plead with the public on the whereabouts of the suspects,” said Manamela.

Earlier this week, five suspects including 24-year-old police constable Emmanuel Zwane who is attached to Witbank detectives, Given Nhlanhla, 27, Ngadla Mkhwanazi, 44, Thembelani Ndlebele, 32, and Vusi Bophela, 40, were remanded in custody after they appeared before the Ogies Magistrate’s Court for possession of suspected stolen property.

At the time, Mohlala said the five were arrested on the R555 Ogies/Delmas Road on Sunday.

“According to the report, police at Ogies conducted routine patrolling duties when they spotted a Toyota double cab bakkie parked on the side of the road, with six men loading bags inside the bakkie. They then approached the men to investigate, when suddenly, officials and security guards from Transnet also arrived and informed the police that the men are loading chrome, which they allegedly stole at Transnet,” he said.

“Police reacted swiftly and arrested four of the suspects while two managed to flee. Moments later, police spotted a white Golf 7 TSI and identified the driver as one of the two suspects who fled the scene earlier, and he was arrested,” said Mohlala.

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