FOUR Zimbabweans and a Mozambican national have been jailed 65 years each in South Africa for murder, robbery and other offences committed in the Limpopo Province.
Zimbabweans Nickson Matandana (32), Trymore Maparadza (31), Tonherel Mujeki (38), Obey Mutema (35) and the 22-year-old Mozambican Philmon Sithole, were convicted and sentenced by the Polokwane High Court.
Each suspect was sentenced to 15 years for their involvement in murder, another 15 years each for first and second counts of robbery, 10 years each for housebreaking and another 10 years each for attempted murder.
"In a significant judgment on Wednesday, June 19, 2024, the Polokwane Division of the High Court handed down multiple convictions and sentences to five foreign male perpetrators aged between 22 and 38. The charges against them included murder, robbery, attempted murder and housebreaking with intent to rob," Limpopo Province's spokesperson for the South African Police Service Colonel Malesela Ledwaba said in a media statement.
"The convicted individuals, comprising one Mozambican and four Zimbabwean nationals, orchestrated a series of violent crimes on April 14, 2020, that shook the community.
“Their criminal spree began at Kgautswana clinic in the Leboeng policing area, where they violently robbed security guards of their firearms before proceeding to ransack the nurse's residence, stealing valuables and an undisclosed sum of money."
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The five-man gang broke into the clinic, making off with laptops and computers before fleeing the scene in a red Nissan Hardbody bakkie.
In their rampage, the gang targeted a foreign national shop in Makgwareng village where they callously shot the Pakistani shopkeeper and his assistant during a robbery. The shopkeeper lost his life, while his assistant survived the ordeal and received medical treatment at a local hospital, Malesela said.
"In response to the heinous crimes, a joint operation involving the Leboeng Crime Prevention team and the Detectives Unit was launched to apprehend the suspects. After an extensive manhunt, the perpetrators were captured at various locations in Burgersfort, Riba Cross, Driekop, and Mashamothane villages on May 6, 2020.
“The police recovered two unlicensed firearms and the stolen items from the clinic and the Pakistani shop in the possession of the culprits," he said.
Police also recovered a red Nissan Hardbody pick-up truck used in the criminal activities at a scrapyard in Burgersfort where it was in the process of being repainted to disguise its identity.
Sentences for robberies and housebreaking with intend to rob will run concurrently and those for murder and attempted murder will also run jointly.
"As a result, each of the accused perpetrators will serve a cumulative term of more than 20 years in prison and have been deemed unfit to possess firearms," said Malesela.
Limpopo Provincial Commissioner of Limpopo, Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe, expressed satisfaction with the verdict.
Recently, four Zimbabweans were jailed in the same province for violent crimes that included armed robbery, just a week after another four had been convicted for similar offences.