Following their arrest on Tuesday, two of the four arsonists appeared in the Mdutjane Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday.
According to National Prosecuting Authority regional spokesperson, Monica Nyuswa, the matter was postponed to Thursday for legal representation.
“Steven Sipho Ndlovu and Mduduzi Luvuyo Msimango appeared in court today and their matter was postponed to tomorrow (Thursday), February 13 for legal representation,” Nyuswa stated following the duo’s brief court appearance.
On Wednesday, Putco welcomed the arrest of the two additional suspects linked to the torching of its 50 buses late last month.
Ndlovu and Msimango made their first court appearance on Wednesday on similar charges to those of their co-accused, Isaac Mabena and Luthando Skosana, who were arrested last month after police linked them to their involvement in the R250 million destruction of part of Putco’s fleet at four depots in the province.
According to Mpumalanga police spokesperson, Brigadier Donald Mdluli, the two suspects were arrested on Tuesday at Siyabuswa in Mpumalanga.
“The suspects have been charged with malicious damage to property. The arrests by the assigned team were made as part of an ongoing investigation into the incident that occurred on 28 January 2025, where several Putco buses were set on fire in Nkangala District. The suspects are believed to have been involved in the coordinated attack on the bus fleet, causing significant damage to the vehicles and posing a threat to public safety,” said Mdhluli.
Reports have indicated that during the torching incident last month, a group of armed individuals driving a Quantum, a minibus, and a sedan set fire to the buses at various depots in the area, wherein a number of staff members were attacked, one security guard was shot, and other staff members were allegedly assaulted and had minor injuries.
During the attack, the suspects, who were dressed in dark clothes and balaclavas, reportedly held the employees at gunpoint before unleashing their dastardly act of sabotage.
Reacting to the latest developments, Putco spokesperson, Lindokuhle Xulu, said this will hopefully shed light on the motive behind the costly attack.
“As Putco, we welcome the news of the arrest of two suspects, hoping that this will shed more light in terms of the motive and who is behind this arson attack. In terms of operations, we were able to allocate 50 buses back into the service of Mpumalanga.
“We have done this by accessing the pool buses that we keep on the side as spare buses in cases of disruptions of operations. This allowed us to go back into service and are in operation right now,” he stated.