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Another arrest in R87m Witbank heist

Johannesburg - The Hawks in Mpumalanga arrested another person in connection with a massive robbery at SBV's cash centre in Mpumalanga last year, bringing the total arrested so far to 17, spokesperson Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi said on Sunday.

Titus Maila, 45, was arrested at his home in Bronkhorstspruit and taken to the Witbank Magistrate's Court on Friday.

His case was postponed and he will return to court on 29 January for a bail application.

Last April between R40m to R50m million was stolen from the SBV cash centre in Witbank by an armed gang who overpowered two guards and stole their firearms.

Alarms were disabled and safes were cut open with cutting torches.

Two other guards who were meant to relieve their colleagues in the morning were kidnapped, Hangwani said.

At the time, Hawks spokesperson Paul Ramaloko said the CCTV feed was also cut.

He said two of those arrested in May were employees of the cash centre and a third is a police reservist.

The guards were all forced to consume a tainted drink and were dumped on the Kromdraai road in Witbank. They had to be treated in hospital afterwards.

The company had offered a R1m reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of whoever pulled off the heist.

Mulaudzi passed on a message from the acting head of the Hawks, Major General Mthandazo Ntlemeza who said: "This a sign of more to come. While there is still a lot to be done, we are going to make serious inroads in our fight against crime. Congratulations to all the team members, this is what South Africa wants."

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