Robbery suspect appears in court

ONE of the Eastern Cape's most wanted suspects, an alleged gang leader involved in a string of armed robberies, will spend another week behind bars after he was arrested last week.

The Hawks pounced on Thembinkosi Kwana on Thursday in Dimbaza near East London as he was allegedly about to carry out an armed robbery on a cigarette delivery truck.

Some of the cases he is wanted for by the elite crime-fighting unit date back to October last year.

Kwana is the suspected mastermind behind armed robberies targeting tobacco delivery trucks.

He made an appear- ance in the Keiskammahoek Magistrate's Court on Monday on charges of armed robbery. A search for his accomplices is also under way.

Kwana was arrested after a search was launched for a missing Volkswagen Polo that had not been returned to a vehicle hire company.

The vehicle with Kwana in it was spotted last Thursday.

Hawks spokesman Captain Paul Ramaloko said: "The suspect was arrested in Dimbaza after a motor vehicle theft case was opened.

"The investigating officers discovered it was him in the vehicle that was being tracked and he was then arrested." – Mamela Gowa