Nobert Zapambela faces robbery charges after video shows him stealing a woman’s phone. Picture: Supplied. The Zimbabwean man captured in a viral video snatching a woman’s cellphone in Brooklyn, Pretoria, in December has been charged with robbery.
Nobert Zapambela, 26, from Johannesburg, appeared before the Hatfield Magistrate’s Court on a charge of robbery on Friday. Zapambela was apprehendedby the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department’s (JMPD) Tactical Response Unit (TRU) on 30 December 2025 after he was captured on video. The footage shows him grabbing a cellphone from a woman and fleeing in a getaway vehicle.
A video of the incident, which allegedly happened outside Kream Restaurant in Brooklyn, has gone viral. The incident allegedly occurred on 28 December while the complainant was walking into the restaurant. The suspect approached her from behind and then snatched her cellphone from her hands and fled.
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In the video, you can hear a vehicle speeding away. ♦️BREAKING NEWS♦️The notorious criminal captured on a viral video smash-and-grabbing a cellphone has been tracked down and arrested by the TRU in Hillbrow. Swift, decisive action has been taken.
Lawlessness will not be tolerated.#BuyaMthethoManjeNamhlanje#FestiveTshelaThupapic.twitter.com/WHrMZKqMLv These posts appeared to have been made after the incident, along with past photos linked to thefts, including a 2023 incident in Hatfield. The JMPD arrested the accused in an apartment in Hillbrow following the video’s circulation. National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) Lumka Mahanjana said the matter was postponed to 16 January 2026 for bail investigations.
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