Polokwane: Five African suspects, aged between 20 and 33, including a foreign national, have been arrested in connection with a series of robberies in the Polokwane Central Business District (CBD).
According to South African Police Service, an intelligence-led tactical operation was conducted in the early hours of Friday, 02 May 2025, targeting a recent surge in business robberies around the Polokwane CBD. Between March and April 2025, the area witnessed a significant increase in robberies, with shopkeepers and customers being robbed of cash and cellphones at gunpoint.
The operation was a collaborative effort involving Polokwane Detectives and the Provincial Tactical Response Team, which successfully identified the suspects’ locations in the Ga-Makibela section and Moletjie village under the Seshego policing area. This led to the arrest of three suspects. Subsequently, a fourth suspect was apprehended in Polokwane CBD.
The fourth suspect provided information that led the operation to the Ext 75 Westernburg policing area, where a black pellet firearm resembling a real firearm, believed to have been used in the robberies, was recovered. Interviews conducted at Polokwane SAPS revealed the suspects were involved in multiple robberies targeting food outlets, supermarkets, pharmacies, a bakery, and a boutique.
Further investigations led authorities to a buyer on Paul Kruger Street in Polokwane, a Zimbabwean national found in possession of three stolen cellphones, who was subsequently arrested. Preliminary investigations indicate that other stolen cellphones had already been transported to Zimbabwe.
A case of possession of suspected stolen property has been opened, and the four arrested suspects have been positively linked to nine cases of business robberies. The recovered cellphones and a pellet firearm loaded with four blank rounds were seized.
All five suspects are expected to appear before the Polokwane Magistrate’s Court on Monday, 05 May 2025, facing charges of business robbery and possession of suspected stolen property. Major General Manala, the Acting Provincial Commissioner of Limpopo, praised the team for their efforts in restoring safety and ensuring the suspects are apprehended. Police investigations are ongoing.