BARBERTON - Eight suspects, three charged with murder and five including a Ward Councillor charged with malicious damage to property and robbery, appeared before the Barberton Magistrate’s Court yesterday.
 
It is alleged that the trio on the murder case were arrested after police instituted a probe following a murder of a 30-year-old man on Saturday, 03 September 2016, at approximately 06:00 in Barberton. Police received a report about a man who was assaulted by three men and when they arrived at the scene, they found him in a critical condition. He was rushed to hospital where he succumbed shortly upon arrival.
 
Shortly after the murder incident, two houses belonging to two of the suspects were set alight by a group of people who are believed to be friends of the victim. The Fire and Rescue Team were summoned to estinguish the fire but in the process were attacked by the group and chased them away. One fire fighter was robbed of his firearm and the group proceeded to set alight the fire trucks.
 
A manhunt for the group and the murder suspects was launched which yielded positive results. First to be arrested was the five suspects including the Councillor on Saturday, at about 20:30, of which the fifth suspect was brought to book today. All five were charged with robbery and malicious damaged to property. The trio for the murder were nabbed during the early hours of yesterday at about 02:30.
 
The suspects, Mandla Mamba, the Ward Councillor, together with Sihle Nkambule (24), Sabelo Mlotshwa (20), Themba Mwali (33) and Gift Mnisi (25), were remanded in custody until Friday, 09 September 2016, pending further investigation.
 
The murder suspects, Benedict Mhlanga (28), Sipho Mbowane (31) and Boikie Malambe Mokoena (30), were also remanded in custody until 12 September 2016, pending formal bail application.
 
Issued by the Corporate Communication                                 
South African Police Service, Mpumalanga Provincial Office