| 2024/11/16 |
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Media Statement POLOKWANE – Oupa Baker Leboho 48, appeared before the Seshego Magistrate Court on Thursday, 15 November 2024 facing charges of kidnapping, murder and defeating the ends of justice. He was remanded in custody until Tuesday, 19 November 2024, for formal application. The suspect, Oupa Baker Leboho was arrested subsequent to a positive information during a well-co-ordinated operation on Friday, 25 October 2024, in Moletji Mabokelele by members of the Provincial Tracking Team and Murder and Robbery Unit. It is alleged that on Thursday, 06 June 2023, the suspect and his accomplices kidnapped and murdered, Steven Mathebula 55, and thereafter buried his body in a shallow grave. A missing person file was initially opened, and after a lengthy investigations, the inquiry was turned into a murder docket and the suspects were subsequently charged. Two more suspects are already in custody after being charged with several serious and violent crimes, which were committed between 2019 and 2023. The other two suspects, Victor Mashakeng 49 and Herbet Modiba 46 (ex-cop) abandoned their bail application after appearing before the Seshego Magistrate Court on Monday, 28 October 2024, for cases of kidnapping, murder and defeating the ends of justice. They were remanded in custody until 10 December 2024 for further police investigations. Police investigations found that on 10 December 2022, the accused kidnapped, murdered and burned Moses Mahlahlane aged 34. The deceased was a taxi driver employed by the suspect Victor Mashakeng. Information suggests that Mashakeng and the deceased had a misunderstanding and Mashakeng, assisted by Herbet Modiba were involved in the killing of Mahlahlane. Apparently after killing him, they dumped his body near Ga-Seema in Matlala and poured him with a flammable substance and burned his body in the process. A missing file case was also opened in Seshego police station, after his disappearance. As the investigations unfolded, the case was changed to murder. Victor Mashakeng 49, will also appear in the same court on the same date (10 December 2024) for a murder of Joseph Raphahlelo 40, which occurred on the 15th March 2021 at 20:30. The deceased was shot and killed in the Seshego industrial area. In this matter, there is still an outstanding suspect by the name of Percy Lebogo, who remains at large after a warrant of arrest was issued. Currently, Victor Mashakeng faces six cases of murder committed between 2017 and 2023. Meanwhile, Herbet Modiba is facing three counts of Murder. The Provincial Commissioner of Police in Limpopo, Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe has hailed the work of the detectives in cracking these murder cases. “We commend the investigation team for their meticulous detection work resulting in them solving these complex murder cases in the province. We are confident that the evidence at their disposal will ensure that these criminals are put behind bars to account for their senseless killings,” said Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe. The police investigations are ongoing. Ends
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