Two foreign nationals, aged 33 and 39, were arrested on Sunday, January 5, after being found in possession of explosives.
The arrest come after they were stopped on the R38 next to Consort Mine in Barberton during Operation Vala Umgodi.
According to a provincial police spokesperson, Brigadier Donald Mdhluli, the astute officers were busy conducting vehicle checkpoints when they spotted a suspicious black BMW 1 Series with two occupants inside.
“They stopped the vehicle and searched it. It was then that the police officers found explosives, jackhammers, water boots and R10 000 in cash. The suspects were arrested when they failed to give an account as to why they were in possession of these items,” he said.
Mdhluli said the preliminary investigation revealed that one of the suspects was out on bail when he was arrested on Sunday, as there is a case of possession of an unlicensed firearm pending against him. He is scheduled to appear in the Barberton Magistrate’s Court on January 30 in that case.
The two will appear in the Barberton Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, January 07.
