Corrie sanders murderer's arrested!

Corrie cops hailed after arrests

Fri, 28 Sep 2012 7:35 AM

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The arrests of three men in connection with the murder of former world heavyweight boxing champion Corrie Sanders evoked praise on Thursday.

Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa and civil rights body AfriForum commended the officers who made the arrest.

"I wish to express my gratitude to the North West members of the police... who worked tirelessly," Mthethwa said in a statement.

"Their dedication towards the safe-keeping of our society is a shining example of the kind of officers we expect, and are working towards sustaining."

Mthethwa urged police to continue their hard work to make sure that harsher sentences could be secured against those who committed violent crimes.

"We shall not allow criminals to rob us of heroes such as the late Corrie Sanders, who, in his heyday as a professional sportsman, inspired a lot of youngsters positively through his talent."

AfriForum spokesperson Nantes Kelder said it was crucial for criminals to know they would not get away.

Three Zimbabwean men were arrested in the morning at Oukasie informal settlement, near Brits, in North West.

Police spokesman Brigadier Thulani Ngubane said police received a tip-off, which led to the arrest of three men around 10am.

They recovered property believed to have been stolen during the robbery in which Sanders was shot dead on Saturday.

The three men — two aged 20 and the other 19 — were Zimbabweans.

They would appear in Brits Magistrate's Court on Monday.

Sanders was at the Thatch Haven Country Lodge, in Brits, when armed robbers entered and began firing shots.

He was hit in the hand and abdomen, and died in the Kalafong Hospital on Sunday.

Sanders won the World Boxing Organisation's heavyweight title in March 2003, dropping Ukrainian Wladimir Klitschko in the second round in Hanover, Germany.

He retired five years later.