TMPD Officers Accused of Truck Hijacking Resume Duty After Bail

Two officers from the Tshwane Metro Police Department (TMPD) are back on duty, despite pending charges of truck hijacking. The TMPD has maintained ambiguity around their identities, citing the ongoing internal investigation as the reason.

Arrested last month by the Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department (EMPD) for alleged truck hijacking and possession of a suspected stolen vehicle, the officers were granted bail shortly after their arrest, the exact date of which remains unclear. TMPD Spokesperson, Senior Superintendent Isaac Mahamba, elaborated that these officers "were served with notices of intention to suspend them and given the opportunity to submit representation as to why they should not be suspended."

The incident unfolded in early September when the pair, seen in TMPD uniforms, caught the attention of EMPD officers on the R21 highway in Ekurhuleni. Driving in a grey BMW 3 series equipped with blue police lights, the suspected TMPD officers were escorting a truck loaded with goods. Upon inspection by EMPD, the BMW was found to be stolen.

EMPD spokesperson Lt-Col Kelebogile Thepa revealed that a foot chase ensued when the truck driver abandoned the vehicle and attempted to escape. "The EMPD officers pursued the suspect on foot, until they apprehended him in a nearby bush with the assistance of Gauteng department of community safety and SAPS helicopters," Thepa said.

Now facing charges of truck hijacking and possession of suspected stolen goods, the accused TMPD officers are due in the Pretoria magistrate's court on November 1.