Pretoria– Two men who have been on the run since 2 November 2015 have appeared before the Kuruman Magistrate’s Court on Thursday, following their arrest on Tuesday for armed robbery.
Xolan Dlamini (35) and Philani Chuma (31), both Zimbabwean nationals, escaped the arrest in November last year when two of their accomplices were cornered by the Hawks shortly after they committed an armed robbery at Absa bank in Kuruman, Northern Cape province.
They were arrested at their hiding place in Soweto, Gauteng province and were found in possession of two unlicensed firearms and ammunition.
Dlamini and Chuma, together with Philani Benny Moeketsi (31) and Tebogo Matthews Haai (40) allegedly stormed into the bank and robbed people who were queuing to deposit money at gun point. They made way with an undisclosed amount of money.
Their getaway vehicle, which investigations revealed that it was rented from Rustenburg, was found abandoned few metres from the scene.
Moeketsi has been remanded in custody until 25 April 2016 while Haai was released on R1 000 bail. They will appear again on 25 April 2016. Dlamini and Chuma were also retained behind bars and will appear again on 11 March 2016 for possible bail application.
