Yesterday evening, thanks to the vigilance of the Western Cape Traffic officials and the Knysna SAPS, a group of youths was arrested and a stolen cache of weapons confiscated.
This group of youth are suspected in the brutal killing of an Eastern Cape, Jansenville resident and seriously wounding his wife, who is in a critical condition in hospital. I applaud our men in blue the Western Cape Traffic Services and the South African Police Service (SAPS) for their vigilance and bravely securing our roads.
What follows is the account as told to me by Provincial Traffic Chief, Kenny Africa. Yesterday evening the Western Cape traffic officials in Knysna, after spotting an Isuzu Frontier without a rear license plate, signalled the vehicle to pull over. The driver of the vehicle refused to pull over and attempted to flee the traffic officers.
After being pursued by the traffic officials, the suspects opened fire on the officers. The driver of the vehicle lost control shortly after the high speed chase and crashed into a ditch next to the road. During the chase SAPS had been alerted and were on the scene when the crash happened. Five youths were arrested (four male and one female), with one youth allegedly evading arrest by fleeing the scene.
Upon further investigation a weapons cache and ammunition was discovered and confiscated by SAPS. It was later discovered that this group of youth are suspected in the murder of an Eastern Cape man this past weekend. Thanks to the bravery and swift action of the Western Cape Traffic Officers as well as the SAPS officers who responded so quickly to this incident, the Western Cape's roads are safer.
Media enquiries:
Dan Plato (Minister of Community Safety)
Cell: 076 832 5505
Greg Wagner (Spokesperson for Minister Plato)
Cell: 072 623 4499
