Four days from arrest to sentence

In a remarkable turnaround, it took only four days from arrest to sentencing after Alexandria police spotted a man behaving suspiciously on the town’s main road. The South African Police Service District Commissioner says this is a testament to the exceptional work of officers at SAPS Alexandria.

SAPS spokesperson Colonel Priscilla Naidu said SAPS Alexandria members were patrolling Voortrekker Street at 5.30pm on Friday, September 22, when they spotted a person selling something and stopped the vehicle to investigate.

A 39-year-old man dressed in a courier company’s uniform had in his possession four sealed packages, with serial numbers, in a courier company’s bag. The bags contained watches with price tags of R999 and R1499 and  two Boss leather belts (R1 599 and R1 999).  Also found in his possession was a brand new Samsung Galaxy S23 cell phone.

“The suspect was taken to the police station for further questioning. While the police were interviewing him, his phone rang and it was his friends, looking for him.,” Naidu said.

The two officers went to look for the friends and found them in Voortrekker Street, driving a Nissan Tida.  In their possession were another four sealed courier packages containing 51 belts, 27 watches and a roll of serialised stickers from the courier company. The three men, aged 29-41, were detained on a charge of possession of suspected stolen property.

All four suspects had come from Gauteng.

The estimated value of the suspected stolen property is R181 250-00.

The four appeared in the Alexandria Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday September 26. One of the accused, Brian Maphanga (29) pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment which was suspended for three years.  The court withdrew the charges against the remaining three suspects.

Sarah Baartman District Commissioner, Major General Zolani Xawuka commended the members for their outstanding work.  “The successful conviction and rapid sentencing of the accused is a shining example of the dedication and excellence of our members,” Xawuka said. “It reaffirms our commitment to ensuring law and order in our communities.”

Xawuka said even though the other suspects were not prosecuted, they were nevertheless deprived of the suspected stolen property.

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