The National Commissioner of Police, Bheki Cele has congratulated the Hawks for achieving their target in arresting the country's most wanted cash robbery suspects with the arrest last night (20-02-2010) of one Seuntjie Christian van Wyk.
His arrest in Mabopane, Pretoria brings to ten the number of arrests. Another two suspects have been in police custody for at least a week now but police are now in a position to announce their arrest as they have been positively linked to robberies.
These are:
- Mthangayi Mukhangayi Nthangahyi who has been linked to at least three robberies: Kwaggafontein in 2007, Rosebank in the same year and Muldersdrift last year
- Albert Lehasa Moloi who has been wanted in George for robbery of business premises as well as other crimes in Goodwood, Tableview and Algoapark as well as in Naledi, Soweto. Interestingly, this suspect also faked his own death in 2005 with the death certificate announcing that he died of natural causes. But police can confirm he is alive and kicking and in custody.
But this is not all. With Van Wyk were two wanted suspects. One of them, Alpheus Msiza, is linked to the horrific cash robbery in Limpopo where four security guards were burnt to death in 2006. This is after their vehicle had been sprayed with AK-47 and when it rolled, they poured petrol all around it and torched it killing the four.
The other guy is Andries Maimela who is linked to the Witbank Absa base robbery in September 2009 in which R20-million was stolen. He is also linked to a business robbery in Mafikeng as well as being convicted of car theft in Pretoria North in 2007.
Van Wyk is linked to a number of cases including the Soshanguve robbery in 2001, the Temba cash in transit robbery in 2005 and the Tsakane case of 2006. He is currently attending this case.
In effect this means that the Hawks have arrested 12 people even though they set out to nab the ten. One suspect though is still proving to be elusive. Thabo Happy Mosia is believed to have fled the country. But it is just a matter of time before police catch up with him.
"We have promised South Africans that we will do everything in our power to ensure their safety and this is just one of those ways. Cash in transit robbers put the lives of ordinary citizens at risk especially when they attack at shopping centres.
"These criminals do not use broomsticks and they will eliminate whoever is in their way and now we are showing them that they will not terrorise our people," he said adding that more projects of this nature will be undertaken to flush out criminals in a range of crimes.
Statement issued by Musa Zondi, South African Police Service communications, February 21 2010
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