A 34-year-old man who had been on the run since last month has been arrested in connection with a house robbery, rape and carjacking that took place at Mavambe Kingsview village in June 2026, the South African Police Service (SAPS) in Limpopo has confirmed.
The suspect was arrested during an intelligence-driven joint operation in the Sibasa area on Wednesday. Detectives from Thohoyandou and Malamulele acted on information about his whereabouts, leading them to a hideout in Mphego village under the Thohoyandou policing area.
According to SAPS Limpopo spokesperson Colonel Malesela Ledwaba, officers found the suspect at the premises and arrested him without incident.
Ledwaba said the arrest follows an earlier breakthrough in the investigation. On June 19, 2026, a joint team of detectives from Thohoyandou, Giyani and Malamulele arrested a 27-year-old suspect during an operation at Mavambe village. He was allegedly found in possession of property linked to the robbery at Mavambe Kingsview village, while three other suspects managed to evade arrest.
Police recovered a large quantity of suspected stolen property during that operation.
“A substantial amount of stolen property was recovered during his arrest. Items seized included one Redbat pink school bag, maroon tekkies, Redbat sandals, one Hybrid solar inverter, one Svect solar inverter, one Huawei device, an identity document, driver’s licence, two tyres, one plasma TV, and a gold Toyota Etios motor vehicle with four tyres, spare wheel, radio and Sabat battery,” Ledwaba said.
A white Volkswagen Polo that had been hijacked during the incident was later recovered abandoned at Mavambe village.
Ledwaba said investigators also extended the operation to Maniini and Ha Mphego villages in an effort to locate the remaining suspects. Although no arrests were made at the time, a search of one suspect’s residence in Ha Mphego resulted in the recovery of additional suspected stolen property, including a flat-screen television, a pressure cooker, a speaker and two travel bags containing clothing.
The 34-year-old suspect was expected to appear in the Malamulele Magistrate’s Court on Friday on charges of house robbery, rape and carjacking.
Police investigations are continuing, and efforts to trace the remaining suspects are ongoing, Ledwaba said.
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Karabo Ngoepe
iol.co.za
