East Rand police are closing in on a gang of 12 to 15 striking security guards believed to be responsible for the deaths of 25 of their non-striking colleagues in Gauteng since the end of March.
Two of the alleged ringleaders have already been arrested, said Detective Inspector Gerry van der Merwe.
Another two guards had been taken in for questioning.
Van der Merwe, of the Dunnottar criminal investigation department, is the officer investigating the death of David Napo Selwane, who was recently found dead next to a railway line between Dunnottar and Sharon on the East Rand.
The officers investigating each of the 25 murders were collaborating with each other and the East Rand Serious and Violent Crimes Unit to solve the crimes.
”We are working 24 hours a day to make more arrests,” said Van der Merwe.
A man arrested on June 16 would bring a bail application in the Dunnottar Magistrate’s Court on June 29.
Another man was arrested on Tuesday. He will appear in the same court on Thursday, where he is expected to bring a bail application, he said.
Two women — suspected of being ”pointers” who identified non-striking guards in civilian clothing to members of the gang — are still being questioned.
The gang, operating only in the Springs area, have been linked to the deaths of three guards found shot, handcuffed and tied to each other in a veld near Vlakfontein Village, Tsakane, on June 7.
The guards had been taken by force to the spot where they were shot, said East Rand police spokesperson Superintendent Andy Pieke.
All three had worked for Afri-Guard security.
Apart from the murders, members of the gang are also thought to be behind the intimidation, assault, and robbery of working guards.
Police are offering a R50 000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the killers of the three guards and have asked anyone able to help to contact Inspector Thato Mohoebi on Tel: 011 738 4488.
Anyone with information about these and any of the other murders can also contact Van der Merwe on Tel: 083 526 3174. — Sapa