14 Namibians caught for alleged theft in South Africa

SOUTH African police arrested 14 Namibians last week in connection with a series of recent housebreakings in the Western Cape.

The 14 men, who are alleged to have ties with the Hout Bay fishing fleet and whose profiles further point to military backgrounds, were reportedly arrested at various places in the area between Tuesday and Friday.They are suspected of being part of an organised crime syndicate.A Western Cape police spokesperson, Captain Frederick van Wyk, said stolen goods worth R2 million were found in the Namibians’ possession.The suspects are scheduled to appear in the Wynberg magistrate’s court this morning, and cannot be publicly identified before that.According to SA police information, their ages range from 22 to 32.Police had apparently been investigating a spate of robberies that recently started in the affluent Constantia and Tokai suburbs when they made a breakthrough on Tuesday morning while tracking the footprints of three robbery suspects through a dense forest.The first of the arrests was made before dawn on Tuesday morning.Windhoek Police station commander Chief Inspector Robert Sanjahi said the Namibian Police were aware of the case, but information was still scant by yesterday.The Police’s public relations department yesterday confirmed that the suspects will be tried in South Africa, and, if convicted, will likely serve prison sentences in that country too.