A 51-year-old Polokwane businessman has been arrested for allegedly setting fire to a rehabilitation centre signboard and a vehicle in two separate incidents in Limpopo.
Limpopo Police Spokesperson Malesela Ledwaba said the suspect was arrested at his Welgelegen home on Monday during an intelligence-driven operation carried out by the SAPS Provincial Tracking Team and the Provincial Investigation Unit.
Ledwaba said police executed a warrant of arrest after linking the businessman to two malicious damage to property cases reported in the Seshego and Westernburg policing precincts.
He said the incidents occurred in the early hours of 28 June 2026.
Ledwaba said investigators allege that at about 4.30am, the suspect set alight a rehabilitation centre signboard in Ladanna near Dendron Road before travelling to Seshego Zone 3.
While there, he allegedly set alight a Toyota Hilux Extended Cab .
The blaze extensively damaged the vehicle before spreading to part of a nearby house where seven people were asleep.
Neighbours managed to extinguish the flames before anyone was injured or further damage was caused.
Police estimate the damage at about R800 000.
The investigation was later transferred to the provincial office, where detectives used intelligence and forensic evidence to identify the suspect.
A Toyota Fortuner, believed to have been used during the commission of the alleged offences, was also seized during the arrest.
The businessman is expected to appear in the Seshego and Polokwane Magistrates’ Courts on Tuesday, 14 July 2026, on two counts of malicious damage to property.
Police said investigations into the matter are continuing.
