Three taxi operators who mistakenly confronted and threatened police officers during an anti-smuggling operation in Musina, were arrested on Thursday. The members of the Limpopo Tracking Team were travelling in an unmarked vehicle on the N1 next to the Sasol garage in Musina when they were stopped by a white Toyota Corolla fitted with white strobe lights and bearing local taxi patrol stickers. “Believing the vehicle to be transporting hitchhikers between Musina and Makhado without their ‘permission’, the three occupants of the Toyota Corolla unlawfully confronted the SAPS members, pointed a firearm, threatened them with a sjambok and attempted to exercise policing powers they do not possess,” said police spokesperson Brig Hlulani Mashaba.
The officers immediately identified themselves and reacted tactically. The suspects tried to flee but were swiftly apprehended. “The suspects later conceded that they had mistaken the police vehicle for a civilian vehicle, highlighting the grave risks posed when individuals unlawfully take the law into their own hands.” The three suspects, aged between 32 and 49, were arrested for pointing a firearm, unlawful use of white strobe lights, crimen injuria, reckless and negligent driving, and intimidation.
During the arrest, police seized a notebook containing vehicle registration numbers and recorded amounts of money allegedly extorted from motorists. In addition, they seized a 9mm pistol with two magazines and 33 rounds of ammunition, a sjambok and the white strobe light. Police also confiscated the motor vehicle.
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The suspects are expected to appear before the Musina magistrate’s court on Friday. Acting Limpopo police commissioner Maj-Gen Jan Scheepers said mistakenly confronting police officers with firearms underscored how dangerous and unlawful these actions were. “No individual or group has the authority to stop vehicles, intimidate motorists, or enforce the law. SAPS will continue to act decisively against anyone who endangers lives and undermines lawful policing,” Scheepers said.
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