GQEBERHA – A 28-year-old foreign national has been arrested in connection with the fatal shooting of five teenagers in Motherwell on 27 May.

The arrest was made on yesterday, 5 June, following an intensive investigation by the Provincial Serious and Violent Crimes Unit in Gqeberha.

According to police, detectives acted on intelligence gathered during the investigation and conducted a tracing operation from the evening of 4 June to the morning of 5 June, which resulted in the successful apprehension of the suspect.

Eastern Cape MEC for Transport and Community Safety, Xolile Nqatha, welcomed the arrest and commended police for the breakthrough in the case.

“The arrest of this suspect reaffirms our firm belief that when criminals commit a crime in this province, the men and women in blue uniforms will find and arrest them.

“As the provincial government, we have full confidence in the work of the police and in this case, we anticipated that the suspect would be arrested soon.

“We hope that the apprehension of this suspect will lead to a successful prosecution so that the grieving family can find closure and justice,” said Nqatha.

Police investigations into the matter continue.