Limpopo businessman appear in court for staged hijacking
A prominent liquor outlet businessman in Limpopo, Phillip Mokgadi Maphepha [34] was amongst three people arrested for their involvement in an alleged staged truck hijacking in which liquor worth R1.2 million was stolen.
Maphepha, his associate Lesedi Issac Khubayi [31], and a liquor delivery truck driver, Robert Ledwaba (30), appeared before the Gilead Periodic Court on Monday.
They were each granted R 2,000 bail, and their case has been postponed until 19 May 2025 for further police investigations.
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A lengthy investigation revealed that in October 2024, a truck transporting liquor to Botswana was allegedly hijacked near the Grobler’s Bridge Port of Entry, Waterberg, by two suspects.
The driver and his crew were taken to a secluded area, where the suspects forced them to unhook the trailer and attach it to another truck. The victims were later abandoned in the Mokopane bushes.
Further investigations uncovered that the truck driver had colluded with the same individuals and orchestrated a staged hijacking, transporting the stolen liquor to a business along the N1 North outside Polokwane.
A LIMPOPO BUSINESSMAN ARRESTED FOR STAGED LIQUOR TRUCK HIJACKING
The suspects then abandoned the trailer in Sengatane near Seshego before falsely reporting the hijacking at the Gilead police station. The driver and his crew were later rewarded with R300,000 in cash for their involvement.
Following a thorough investigation led by VICU Commander, Lt. Col. Nkuna, the suspects were identified, traced, and arrested on Friday, 28 March 2025. The two trucks and a trailer have since been confiscated by the police as part of an investigation. The court proceedings are ongoing, and additional charges may be brought against them as the case progresses.
Maphepha and Khubayi are facing charges of truck hijacking and theft, while Ledwaba has been charged with theft and perjury. The case against the fourth accused has since been withdrawn.
