MOPANI – The police in the Mopani area have arrested a 24-year-old man and charged him with armed robbery following an incident that took place at the Marunwana Trust village in the Calcata Area on Monday afternoon at about 14:00.

According to the police spokesperson in the area, Insp Hasani Mabaso, the victim was busy selling fruit at a local café when the incident occurred. The victim is a 25-year-old woman. According to the police statement, two gunmen entered the café.

They indicated that they wanted to buy a packet of cigarettes. While the victim was about to give them the packet of cigarettes that they had requested, one of them produced a firearm and pointed at the victim. The statement indicates that the gunmen then ordered the victim to give them cash.

The victim told them that there was no cash in the business at that stage. The gunmen threatened to kill her if she did not give them what they wanted.

The victim then showed them the container in which the money was kept. There was cash amounting to R150 in the container.

The gunmen stole the money and vanished into the surrounding bushes. The shopkeeper was away when the incident took place. When he arrived back the victim explained everything to him and gave him the description of the two gunmen.

Although the matter was reported to the police later that afternoon, the shopkeeper decided to search for the suspects on his own, basing his investigations on the descriptions that he received from his employee. The shopkeeper met one of the suspects in the street the following day.

The suspect started to run away when he met the shopkeeper. The shopkeeper then alerted some other people who joined him in the chase until the suspect was arrested. He was then taken to the police station where he was charged with armed robbery. He was still to appear in court at the time of going to press while the other suspect was still at large.

The Mopani police have also opened an inquest docket, following the death of a 50-year-old man. The incident took place at the Lamondokop village near Tzaneen on Sunday afternoon at about 17:00. According to Insp Mabaso, the deceased was riding on a bicycle along the Lamondokop to Tzaneen road when the incident occurred.

According to the police statement, the deceased apparently lost control of the bicycle when he reached the Lamondokop River Bridge. The statement indicates that the bicycle hit the guardrails of the bridge as a result. The deceased fell under the bridge and died instantly. The statement further indicates that another cyclist who was going in the opposite direction saw the incident and reported the matter to the nearby police station. The deceased was identified as Jerry Johannes Sbilimetja (50) of Lamondokop village. The police are investigating the matter.