SAPS Launches Manhunt After 2 Killed in N1 Robbery in Mokopane
- The South African Police Service in Limpopo is on a manhunt for suspects who robbed a cross-border bus and killed some of its passengers
- The incident happened on the N1 near Mokopane, and a woman was among those who were killed during the incident
- South Africans were horrified and mortified by the incident and have called for the authorities to apprehend the suspects speedily
Tebogo Mokwena, Briefly News’ Deputy Head of the Current Affairs desk, South Africa, covered a range of criminal activities, including cash-in-transit heists, kidnappings, taxi violence, police investigations, police shootouts, and court cases at Daily Sun for over three years.
Source: Getty Images
MOKOPANE, LIMPOPO — A little girl lost her mother after robbers attacked a bus en route to Zimbabwe from Johannesburg on the N1 in Limpopo on 8 October 2025. In the ensuing chaos, two people were shot and killed.
According to IOL, a group of armed robbers was part of a 60-seater bus with 54 passengers travelling from South Africa to Zimbabwe. The bus departed from Power House bus station in Johannesburg and picked up passengers in Ekurhuleni and Tsheane as it travelled towards its destination.
Robbery on the N1
Eight kilometers from the Nyl Plaza tollgate, two male passengers suddenly produced firearms and pointed them at the passengers. The suspects robbed the passengers and took their cellphones and an undisclosed sum of money. During the robbery, one of the passengers tried to disarm the suspects, and others joined him.
A struggle ensued as the suspects fired several shots inside the bus. The 30-year-old man was fatally shot, and a female passenger was also fatally wounded. A vehicle, which was allegedly following the bus, stopped behind it. The attackers entered the vehicle and fled the scene.
Police condemn the incident
The South African Police Service confirmed that two cases of armed robbery and murder have been opened, and no arrests have been made. The province's Commissioner General Thembi Hsdebe condemned the incident and said that a task team has been established to track the suspects down.
Fatal robberies in 2025
A child was killed during a robbery in Edenvale, Ekurhuleni, on 4 January 2025. The boy was with his parents at a McDonald's establishment when a group of robbers robbed the establishment. The robbers targeted the vehicle the child was in, and they shot inside the vehicle after robbing it. He was rushed to the hospital and declared dead.
Two people were killed during a cash-in-transit heist which took place in Dawn Park, Ekurhuleni, on 1 September. The police could not confirm if the victims were members of the security company or the armed robbers. The suspects detonated explosives placed on the vehicle and escaped with an undisclosed amount of money.
Source: Getty Images
South Africans hurt
Netizens sharing their opinion on Facebook were devastated.
Nso Vo Monweg said:
"It's definitely some South Africans targeting foreigners."
Sipho Smbokwe said:
"I think there is a target they wanted. Why specifically on this bus?"
Lesedi Section Sere said:
"It's a lesson that sometimes to play the hero comes with brutal consequences."
Mosima Monareng Mphela said:
"It's high time for all passenger transport companies to have a manifesto to register every passenger using IDs and fingerprints. Parliament must gazette the law."
Tavern shooting leaves 5 dead
In a related article, Briefly News reported that five people were dead and six were wounded in a tavern in Zithobeni, Bronkhortspruit. The incident happened on 5 October 2025.
Two well-known men in the area entered the tavern in the early hours of the morning and demanded that a patron give them his licensed gun. The suspects then opened fire randomly.
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Proofreading by Kelly Lippke, copy editor at Briefly.co.za.
Source: Briefly News
