Ten men arrested for ATM bombings in KZN

Ten men have been arrested for a spate of ATM bombings in Mtubatuba, KwaZulu-Natal, the Hawks have said.

The Hawks were following up on information when they took the men, aged between 20 and 40, into custody yesterday.

They were linked to ATM bombings in KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng and Mpumalanga, Hawks spokesperson Paul Ramaloko said.

The last ATM was bombed in Howick. They were found in a minibus taxi from Gauteng.

“They are staying in some hostel in Soweto, but they are originally from KwaZulu-Natal,” said Ramaloko.

After being questioned, the gang took the Hawks to a house at eManguze, south of Kosi Bay, on the border between South Africa and Mozambique in KwaZulu-Natal.

The Hawks found firearms – an AK47 and a pistol – nine explosive cables and a stolen bakkie. The vehicle was reported stolen in Booysens, Gauteng, early January, he said.

He denied the allegations that it was a white gang, as was reported in the media yesterday.

“And this thing that they are white it is not true.”

Among those arrested was the son of a taxi owner in Gauteng.

They would appear in the Pietermaritzburg Magistrates’ Court tomorrow on charges of armed robbery, the possession of firearms and explosives as well as a stolen vehicle.

- Sapa