Four men with suspected ties to Nelson Mandela Bay's notorious ‘Balaclava Gang’ arrested

It began with a home invasion in broad daylight. A group of robbers entered a family home in Gqeberha, held a father at gunpoint while his wife and two minor sons were tied up and their house ransacked.

But less than an hour later, four suspects were detained, an illegal firearm confiscated and the stolen property recovered, thanks to a collaborative effort from the Theescombe community and private security firms, and the tight net they cast to close in on the alleged culprits.

Sources believe these suspects could have ties to a notorious robbery gang that terrorised the same neighbourhood more than four years ago, when they allegedly robbed dozens of small holdings not only in Nelson Mandela Bay, but throughout the Garden Route and into the Western Cape.

While the initial police reports were not very detailed, police spokesperson Captain Andre Beetge confirmed that four suspects, between the ages of 33 and 59, were detained on charges of house robbery and possession of an unlicensed firearm. They are expected to make their first court appearance on Friday.

But Daily Maverick was able to attend a debriefing, which included private security officers and members of the Theescombe Neighbourhood Watch (TNW), where those who were actively involved in the chase were able to provide a comprehensive breakdown of how events unfolded.

Those involved in the arrests spoke on condition of anonymity, concerned for their safety as some of the suspects are still at large.

The hour of chaos began shortly before 2pm on Wednesday and spanned multiple properties and three separate crime scenes.

The homeowner arrived at his property near the Kragga Kamma Game Park. On arrival, he noticed something was amiss and alerted his home security company, Tac Net.

Seconds later, he was dragged into his home at gunpoint and found his wife and sons tied up and home invaders ransacking the house.

Fortunately, less than two minutes after the call to the security firm, a Tac Net armed response unit arrived at the property, forcing the culprits to flee the scene.

“Immediately after our units responded to the house, messages started flying back and forth on community chat groups. These messages were fed through to our control room, and we were able to deploy more units to the area,” a Tac Net director explained.

A series of hair-raising messages, of residents frantically screaming descriptions of unknown men with guns running across the properties, jumping fences and hiding in bushes, were carefully filtered through the Tac Net control room to provide their operatives with clear instructions.

“From there, we were able to coordinate with the members of the neighbourhood watch and other private firms to block off all possible exits and slowly close in on the suspects.”

About 600m from the initial home invasion, after jumping fences to flee across half a dozen properties, the first two suspects were apprehended in the bushes near Venter Road.

While they were being detained, gunshots rang out from a neighbouring property, where a member of the TNW was in a tussle with a suspect, allegedly armed with a handgun.

A TNW manager explained that their colleague was lucky to escape with his life as the suspect allegedly fired several shots during the tussle, narrowly missing him.

“While our member was lucky to walk away with no bullet wounds, he suffered several severe bite marks on his arms and torso during the scuffle and was taken to hospital for tetanus injections,” the manager said.

He also confirmed that a .357 magnum revolver, with the serial number filed off, was recovered at the scene.

While the third suspect was being detained, other role players noticed more suspects running through the bushes. They gave chase and, about 100m away, in Pickwick Road, found a third crime scene where more suspects were allegedly trying to hijack a car.

“However, the driver and his son managed to fend them off, and with the help of our members, one suspect was detained while at least one other suspect ran away,” the TNW manager said.

All four suspects were brought to the same location in Pickwick Road, where the police arrested them.

According to Tac Net’s control room, the entire ordeal, from the first reports of the home invasion to the fourth suspect being detained, lasted less than 45 minutes.

“We would like to thank the neighbourhood watch and the other security firms who joined in on the operation. With their help, and the help from the alert community, we were able to apprehend the suspects who we believe could have ties to other crimes in the area,” the Tac Net director said.

Reports indicate that some of the suspects could have ties to a robbery gang that targeted smallholdings around Nelson Mandela Bay in 2021 and 2022.

Known simply as the Balaclava Gang, the group targeted secluded homes and high-end properties late in the afternoon or early in the evening. They would force their way into homes and split into two groups – one would hold residents at gunpoint and restrain them while their accomplices ransacked the property, often looking for cash and firearms.

Many victims claimed to have had bizarre interactions with the home invaders, some even describing them as polite and going out of their way to ensure that the victims remained calm.

Police insiders from the Western Cape said several similar incidents had been reported on farms and small holdings around Cape Town during the same period.

The gang’s notoriety reached its peak towards the end of 2022, with the same modus operandi tied to dozens of home invasions, leaving residents uneasy.

The Balaclava Gang went quiet when a suspected house robber, believed to be one of their members, was shot and killed during a home invasion near Old Seaview Road, Gqeberha, in late 2022.

However, while they remain tight-lipped on specific details about the case, sources close to the investigation believe the suspects arrested on Wednesday could provide a breakthrough in the older Balaclava Gang cases. DM