Two men are behind bars for stealing pedestrians’ cellphones and terrorising a Durban community on Thursday.
The men made brief appearances in the Durban Magistrates Court on Friday and were remanded into police custody for further investigation.
A swift response by members of the Sydenham SAPS Crime Prevention Unit led to their arrest.
This comes after police received a frantic call that suspects in a VW Polo were terrorising the community by robbing them of their cellphones.
Sergeants Thobeka Mdunge, Siyabonga Mdladla and Samkelo Mtshali, as well as Constable Siyabonga Gigaba, rushed to the scene. A source said that when police arrived, the suspects sped off; a chase ensued, and they were cornered at Quarry Road West in Clare Estate.
Search finds phones
Upon searching the suspects, police recovered five cellphones suspected to be stolen. They were then taken to Sydenham SAPS where they were charged with possession of stolen property. The vehicle was also impounded because it was used in the commission of crime.
Manser Akoo, Sydenham Community Policing Forum chairperson, commended the members for their excellent response time. Akoo said it has become a common crime trend for a vehicle to stop alongside a pedestrian and the occupants rob him/her of their possessions and speed off. Akoo said the vehicle often has false or no registration plates making it difficult for victims or police to track.
“These suspects often spot a pedestrian. One of the occupants gets off a short distance away, walks up to the person and robs them of their phone or bag. The suspect then gets into the vehicle parked a few metres away,” Akoo said.
South African crime trends
Acting Minister of police Firoz Cachalia released the SAPS crime statistics for the first quarter of the 2026/27 financial year, covering crimes reported between April and June 2026.
The statistics revealed that in three months, 10,276 common robbery cases and 26,839 robbery with aggravating cases were recorded in the country.
In KwaZulu-Natal, 1,731; Gauteng, 3,166; Eastern Cape, 638; and Western Cape, 2,442 incidents were reported.
For robbery aggravating incidents, KZN: 4,744; Western Cape: 4,357; Eastern Cape: 2,090; and Gauteng: 10,290
The statistics show that Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, the Western Cape and the Eastern Cape continue to account for the overwhelming majority of South Africa’s most serious violent crimes.
Crime declines
Cachalia said that while SAPS reported encouraging declines in several major crime categories including murder, rape, robbery with aggravating circumstances and carjacking, the figures indicate that violent crime remains heavily concentrated in these four provinces, which together recorded the highest volumes of offences during the first three months of the financial year.
“We recently convened meetings with those responsible for community safety, SAPS leadership and key policing stakeholders, to deliberate on the challenges confronting policing in South Africa. The discussions were frank, constructive and focused on practical solutions,” Cachalia said.
He said among the key resolutions adopted was the need to strengthen coordination between national, provincial and local government, enhance intelligence capabilities, improve detective services, accelerate the fight against organised crime, and ensure that resources are directed towards identified crime hotspots.
