A former Bafana Bafana player’s popular butchery and shisa nyama in Alexandra, Johannesburg has been implicated in a meat heist scandal. The butchery is allegedly linked to Maimane Phiri, who says he is not aware that the meat he is selling has been stolen.

A well-placed source based in Alexandra says that law enforcement received information about "stolen meat" from three trucks that were hijacked earlier in Boksburg on Tuesday. A local ZSS tactical security company, together with SAPS and JMPD, say in a joint statement that they responded to the first location where they found suspects busy offloading meat at 7th Joe Nhlanhla Avenue in a tavern in Alexandra. "Upon arrival, suspects attempted to flee the scene and two were arrested same time on the scene," the statement says. "The suspects co-operated and took the security company to their houses to be searched." Law enforcement confirmed that the owner of the butchery said he was only asked to store the meat in his fridges, and he did not know it was stolen.

Police and other law enforcement responded to the scene and are still searching for more suspects. The Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) spokesperson Superintendent, Xolani Fihla confirmed the incident and said officers found meat worth around R700 000 at the said location. "Two male suspects were arrested by JMPD officers for possession of stolen property, unlicensed firearms, and ammunition in Alexandra," says Fihla. Adding that on Tuesday, officers received information regarding three trucks that were taken during an armed robbery in Springs, where meat products were stolen. "Whilst conducting crime prevention patrols in Alexandra, officers noticed males offloading meat from a bakkie into a butchery. The males attempted to flee the scene when the officers approached them. Two males were immediately apprehended, one of whom divulged information leading to his place of residence in Alexandra where amongst other stolen items, five unlicensed firearms, one licensed firearm, ammunition, and a signal jammer were recovered," Fihla adds. He adds that all the items recovered including the vehicle used in the commission of the crime were seized and the firearms will be sent for ballistics to determine whether they could have been involved in the commission of crime. "The duo were detained at Alexandra SAPS, and they will appear in court in due course," he says.