Two soldiers arrested for army base robbery
Two South African National Defence Force (SANDF) soldiers will be back in court in June in connection with the theft of rifles and pistols from a Pretoria military base.
The two suspects, Lance Corporal Sidwel Babini Tyawana (36) and 28-year-old Sapper Tumelo Christian Mangale were granted bail after they appear in court on Wednesday.
Hawks spokesperson Hangwani Mulaudzi says the two were arrested following a joint investigation by the Military Police and Gauteng Hawks.
A total of 18 R4 rifles and three pistols had gone missing from the SA Army Engineer Formation Tek Base in Lyttelton.
"The joint investigation discovered that the stolen firearms were hidden, whilst others were sold to different individuals, particularly in the East Rand area,” says Mulaudzi.
“The joint investigation led to the arrest of Tyawana in Oudtshoorn, Western Cape, on February and two days later Mangale was arrested while on duty at SA Army Engineer Formation."
A third suspect, Kgotso Mooketsi, who is employed by the Department of Education in Gauteng, was arrested in Springs after he was found in possession of an R4 rifle and 3 empty magazines.
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National police spokesperson Vish Naidoo says the case was opened at Brighton Beach Police Station. "One of the citizen picked this up on Facebook, came to Brighton Beach Police Station and opened a case on behalf of the president, for now." He adds the matter is still being investigated and no arrests have been made.