12 suspects face attempted murder charges after Benoni business robbery

A group of 12 alleged armed robbers made their first court appearance before the Benoni Magistrate’s Court on 20 April following their arrest last week.

12 ARRESTED FOR BENONI BUSINESS ROBBERY

National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana said the accused face six counts of attempted murder, three counts of robbery with aggravating circumstances, five counts of possession of an unlicensed firearm, two counts of possession of ammunition and 12 counts of being in South Africa illegally.

One of the accused is currently hospitalised and cannot be named until he appears in court. Most of the suspects hail from Zimbabwe and were nabbed after they allegedly attempted to rob a transport company in Benoni, Gauteng on 16 April.

“The police were alerted of the robbery, upon their arrival it is alleged that the accused started shooting, however, the police managed to arrest the accused persons.

“Out of the 13 accused, only Mlambo is legal in the country, however, Vilakazi and Ngubeni allege that they possess South African identity documents, though the Department of Home Affairs is still yet to confirm this,” said the NPA spokesperson.

The injured suspect was hospitalised after he fell off the palisade fence while trying to escape from the police.

Mkhululi Dube, 45, Magoma Sibanda,42, Victor Vilakazi, 32, Price Ndlovu, 35, Cosmos Ncube, 45, Cabangani Kunene, 38, Wilfred Ngubeni, 45, Goodman Ndlovu, 36, Tandai Thafirei,29, Lucas Mazibc, 27, Samuel Mlambo, 43, and Senzo Mpofu, whose age is unknown are due back in court on 26 April when they are expected to appoint legal representation.

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