Five individuals suspected of involvement in a cash-in-transit heist are scheduled to make an appearance at the Vuwani Magistrates’ Court in Limpopo, facing charges related to the possession of suspected stolen vehicles.

The arrests come in the wake of a recent shootout between police and suspected robbers in Louis Trichardt, which claimed the lives of 19 individuals.

According to Matimba Maluleke, spokesperson for the Limpopo Hawks, the suspects were apprehended in a safe house located in Thohoyandou last Friday. Authorities suspect that these individuals may have ties to the group involved in the fatal confrontation with police in Eltivillas, Louis Trichardt.

Maluleke revealed that during the arrests, law enforcement confiscated two vehicles, one of which was an ambulance. It is believed that the ambulance was intended to be used as part of the planned heist to transport the stolen money.

In a separate development, the process of identifying the 19 individuals who lost their lives in the shootout with the police is set to commence at Tshilidzini Hospital. This identification process marks a crucial step in the ongoing investigation into the incident.

The number of suspects killed in the Makhado shootout has risen to 19. 17 are male, 2 are female.This takedown operation was a culmination of a major investigation by the HAWKS that began as far back as January 2023. The group is being linked to CIT heists in GP, MP and Limpopo. pic.twitter.com/h9U075GgAh

— Athlenda Mathe (@AthlendaM) September 3, 2023