Suspects arrested for the hijacking and kidnapping of the Deputy Minister of Justice, Deputy Minister Mawetla.
Pretoria, 26 May 2017: Since Monday, four suspects have been arrested in the hijacking and kidnapping case of the Deputy Minister of Justice, Deputy Minister Makwetla and two security guards from a hospital by a multi-disciplinary task team comprising of the SAPS’s Organised Crime Investigation Unit, Detective Services and Crime Intelligence.
On Sunday, 21 May 2017 at approximately 19:30 Deputy Minister Makwetla arrived alone in his private vehicle, a Range Rover at THE Riverside Hospital in Parktown to visit patients.
As he entered the parking lot through the main gate, one of the security guards approached him to assist with directions. While they were talking three unknown males approached them and held them at gunpoint.
The two security guards were forced to the back of the suspect’s vehicle and the Deputy Minister was forced to lie face down on the back of his own vehicle.
They drove off with him to an unknown house and then-then drove to an ATM and requested pin codes for his bank cards and withdrew an undisclosed amount of money.
After the withdrawal, they travelled to the Madidi area in the North West in the early hours of Monday morning where they dropped him off and released the security guards from the boot. The vehicle sped off and the victims walked to the nearest police station for assistance.
The task team followed up on reliable information and one of the suspects Brandon Mashigo, 24 years old, was arrested on Monday at about 18:00, in the Garankuwa area. He appeared in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court today on charges of kidnapping and hijacking and was remanded in custody.
The police worked around the clock and three more suspects were arrested between 02:00 and 06:00 this morning in Atteridgeville, Montana and Chantelle, Orchards in Pretoria respectively. A firearm and a watch were recovered.
The trio is in custody and will appear together with Mashigo in the Garankuwa Magistrate’s Court on Monday, 29 May 2017 on charges of kidnapping and hijacking.
Mashigo was out on bail in connection with a similar case and will appear in that regard this Friday.