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Botched robbery suspect arrested

DEAD END: The body of a robber who was killed in the failed robbery. Pic. Mckeed Kotlolo. 05/05/2008. © Sowetan.
DEAD END: The body of a robber who was killed in the failed robbery. Pic. Mckeed Kotlolo. 05/05/2008. © Sowetan.

McKeed Kotlolo

McKeed Kotlolo

Limpopo police have arrested a 27-year-old alleged member of the gang involved in Monday's failed heist that claimed four lives at the Moutse pension payout point.

The man was arrested in the bush, a few kilometres from the crime scene, at Kgobokwane village near Dennilton on Monday afternoon.

Four people, 75-year-old pensioner and queue marshal Jim Mogoru, security guard Fikile Norman Madonsela and two unidentified robbers, were killed in the shootout between a group of armed robbers and members of Sonqoba Security.

The robbers had attempted to rob officials from Mpumalanga Social Services at the pension payout point.

Two other people, a security guard for Uazuvaije Tjivinda and a local resident, Charles Mashego, were wounded in the shootout. They were treated at Philadelphia Hospital.

Limpopo provincial police spokesman Superintendent Ronnel Otto said the man still had the handgun taken from the driver of the armoured vehicle when he was arrested.

Otto said they expected more arrests to follow. The man is due to appear in the Moutse magistrates' court today.

Meanwhile, the Greater Sekhukhune municipality, under which Kgobokwane falls, has offered to pay all funeral costs for Mogoru's burial, spokesman Selby Makgotho said yesterday.

The deceased's son, Alfred Mogoru, told Sowetan that funeral arrangements were still to be finalised.

He said the family was planning to bury Mogoru at the weekend "but this depends on whether the postmortem will be completed".

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