The Vuwani police have arrested four suspects in connection with a business robbery which took place at a local shop at Mvelaphanda village on 20 September.

Khutso Ramalesa (20), Jeffrey Moake (27), Meshack Makamu (22), and Vincent Ramethoka (28) appeared before the Vuwani Magistrate's Court on 25 and 30 September and their case was postponed to 3 October for further investigation and the possibility of lodging formal bail applications.

It is alleged that the accused had attacked a 25-year-old businessman inside his shop and stabbed him in the head, arm, chest and back. The victim screamed for help, but the men allegedly pushed him to the floor, whereafter they fled the scene with an undisclosed amount of airtime vouchers and R200 cash. The businessman was left bleeding profusely.

Some members of the community noted that things were not all right in the shop, so they came over and allegedly managed to apprehend Khutso Ramalesa. When the police finally arrived, they found that Ramalesa had been beaten severely by the community members. He had also sustained facial injuries.

The police investigation led to the arrest of other three suspects at Matoks near Polokwane.

The spokesperson for the Vuwani police, W/O Elijah Malatjie, said that the police were investigating the possibility that the suspects were connected to other crimes which had happened in the area. “The suspects normally travel all the way from Capricorn Municipality to terrorise our communities,” he said. “We're not sure if this was their first attempt at robbing the businesses in our policing area.”

All the accused remain in custody.