MPUMALANGA – Two Nigerian nationals and two Mozambicans have been arrested after four people; a man, his wife and both his parents, were found murdered at farm house in Modderbult on Tuesday.
Members of the Hawks, Crime Intelligence, members of the K9 unit, SANEB, Visible Policing members and the Local Criminal Record Centre officers responded to a farm attack incident which was reported in the area. When they arrived they found four bodies lying dead with bullet wounds.
Investigation ensued swiftly and two Nigerians were arrested at a nearby town for being in possession of two laptops which belonged to the victims. While continuing with the investigations, the officers spotted a vehicle which also belonged to one of the deceased. Two men were spotted getting into the vehicle and when the police introduced themselves a shootout ensued.
The suspects were overpowered and it was later established that both suspects were Mozambican nationals. One of them sustained injuries during the exchange of fire and is currently in hospital.
Two Nigerian nationals, aged 20 and 30 years, will appear before the Balfour Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday, 15 February 2017, facing charges of possession of suspected stolen properties.
The Mozambican duo, aged 26 and 36 years, will be in the dock on Thursday, 16 February 2017 and they will face four counts of murder, illegal possession of firearm and possession of suspected stolen vehicle.
The National Head of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation Lieutenant General Mthandazo Ntlemeza expressed his sadness on the incident but was quick to applaud the officers for a swift arrest. He said the investigation must leave no stone unturned to ensure that justice is served accordingly.
“These are ugly scenes and perpetrators have no place in our society. Farm attacks are one of our priorities and we will dig very deep to establish the motive of the killings and ensure that those responsible for this heinous crime receive the harshest punishment”, Lieutenant General Ntlemeza added.
