200 Displaced After Building Fire in Jeppestown
At least 200 people have been displaced following a deadly fire in Jeppestown, Johannesburg, according to SABC News. The blaze claimed the lives of four people, while three others were injured and transported to a nearby hospital. Johannesburg Emergency Services Management recovered the four bodies during the fire-fighting operation, with two found on the first floor and the other two on the second. Johannesburg Mayor Dada Morero has vowed to take action against hijacked buildings. This incident comes less than a year after the Usindiso building fire, which resulted in 77 deaths and left more than 150 people displaced.
Hawks Net 673 Suspects in High-Profile Cases
Lieutenant-General Godfrey Lebeya, head of the Hawks, reported that Gauteng recorded the highest number of arrests for serious crimes, followed by KwaZulu-Natal, according to News24. Lebeya said that the Hawks significant progress in apprehending suspects involved in high-profile cases, with a total of 673 arrests made during the reporting period. "These arrests targeted individuals involved in serious corruption, fraud, money laundering, police killings, cash-in-transit robberies, illegal mining, damage to essential infrastructure, and crimes against the state," he stated. He further noted that out of the total arrests, 489 individuals, accounting for 77%, were South Africans, while 148, or 23%, were foreign nationals.
Man Arrested for Murder, Theft After Woman Found Dead in Car
Gauteng police have arrested a 21-year-old man after discovering the body of a woman and several suspected stolen items inside her stolen Range Rover at a petrol station in Pretoria, reports News24. According to police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Mavela Masondo, preliminary investigations suggest that the woman was killed during a house robbery in Standerton, Mpumalanga. "The suspect or suspects allegedly ransacked the house before killing the victim, placing her body in her Range Rover, and fleeing with the vehicle," Masondo stated. Police also recovered suspected stolen items, including laptops, cellphones, jewelry, and the deceased's bank cards. The man has been charged with murder, kidnapping, possession of unlicensed firearms, possession of a stolen motor vehicle, and possession of suspected stolen property.
