- Five people, including a minor, have been arrested for the murder of two North West police officers.
- They have appeared in the Itsoseng Magistrate's Court.
- The case has been postponed to next week for a bail application.
Five people have appeared in the Itsoseng Magistrate's Court in connection with the murder of two North West police officers whose charred bodies were found in a burnt-out police vehicle earlier this week.
Benjamin Jacobs, 42, Jeremiah Mongale, 26, Rapulana Keikantse, 25 and Matthews Modukanele, 20, appeared in court on Friday on charges of murder, malicious damage to property and possession of a stolen firearm.
The fifth accused, a minor who cannot be named, appeared separately in a children's court.
The burnt bodies of Mareetsane police station officers, Constable Simon Ngakaemang Ntsekeletsa, 50, and Sergeant Mojalefa Horatius Molete, 42, were found on Wednesday.
According to provincial Hawks officials, the two officers were on patrol duty on Monday night when they came across a vehicle of suspected stolen goats.
They reported the incident to their commander and mentioned that they would take the vehicle to the police station. But they never arrived and couldn't be reached via cellphone or police radio.
"A manhunt for the police officers was immediately launched," said North West Hawks spokesperson, Captain Tlangelani Rikhotso.
On Tuesday, community members alerted police to blood stains on the road that led to the police station. A knife and a police badge belonging to one of the officers was found at the scene, and a second badge was found near Mareetsane Road.
Further investigation led police to the burnt state vehicle in which the bodies were found.
"The team followed all leads and worked tirelessly until they traced and arrested the five suspects who were allegedly found in possession of a 9mm pistol taken from the slain police officers. A hammer, clothing with suspected blood stains and a vehicle have been seized for further investigation."
The case was postponed to 5 August for a bail application.
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