A 63-year-old man is expected to appear in the Nkandla Magistrate’s Court on multiple charges linked to the alleged theft of construction equipment in northern KwaZulu-Natal.
According to the South African Police Service (SAPS), the suspect was arrested at Ekombe on Sunday after evading authorities for several days.
Police said the case dates back to December, when a theft was reported at Nkandla Police Station involving heavy-duty construction machinery. A second case was opened in Newark in January, with the complainant accusing the same suspect of using property without the owner’s consent.
Authorities later linked the incidents to the theft of equipment from a construction site in Nkandla.
KwaZulu-Natal SAPS spokesperson Paul Magwaza said police units, including the Provincial Reaction Unit and the Empangeni Vehicle Crime Investigation Unit, acted on intelligence regarding the whereabouts of the stolen machinery.
“An operation was conducted at a quarry in Newark, where two excavators and one TLB were recovered. The equipment is estimated to be worth R50 million,” Magwaza said.
He added that the suspect was not present during the initial recovery and remained on the run at the time.
Further charges were laid on Saturday, including extortion and vehicle theft, after a truck was reportedly stolen from a construction site and the complainant allegedly received demands for money.
Following a tracing operation, members of the Empangeni Public Order Police arrested the suspect at Ekombe. A truck believed to be linked to the case was also recovered during the arrest.
The suspect now faces charges of theft, extortion, possession of suspected stolen property, and using property without the owner’s consent.
He is expected to appear in court on Tuesday.