Two truck drivers, aged 29 and 27, were arrested on Thursday morning in Mpumalanga in connection to the torching of trucks. A total of 21 trucks ferrying goods have been torched in Mpumalanga, KZN and Limpopo since Sunday.
According to National Police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe, the first suspect was arrested on a farm in Piet Retief with the assistance of a private security firm while the second suspect was arrested in Ermelo.
Both suspects are facing charges of malicious damage to property.
The arrests come as a result of investigations by a multidisciplinary team assigned to investigate the attacks on trucks and the burning of them.
During a press briefing that was held by Police Minister Bheki Cele in Pretoria on Wednesday, Cele indicated that the attacks were a well-orchestrated operation aimed at destabilising the country’s economy.
“These are organised and sophisticated operations. They are organised in one centre in the northern part of KwaZulu-Natal and dispersed in different groups to do these things,” said Cele.
The National Commissioner of the SAPS, General Fannie Masemola has said that they are closing in on those behind these attacks.
“Police are hot on the heels of more suspects which involves the ring leaders of these sporadic incidents of criminality. Either they hand themselves over or we fetch them ourselves,” said Masemola.
The operations to combat the attacks and find the perpetrators continues through roadblocks, stop and searches, and the tracing operations of these wanted suspects.
Cele also highlighted that law enforcement that have been deployed have already identified at least 12 people of interest possibly linked to the recent attacks on trucks.
“No matter the motive, the country’s law enforcement remains on high alert and is hard at work at preventing more attacks, but also finding these individuals or gangs of thugs who are hell-bent on causing havoc on our roads,” said Cele.
IOL