Three men who made attempts to rob a store in Sasolburg, in the Free State, were successfully brought to justice and sentenced to a total of 47 years in prison.
The High Court sentenced Sibusiso Blessing Mbele (38), Jeremiah Tshabela (32) and Aron Mandla Radebe (45) to 18 years in prison for murder, 16 years for attempted murder, and 13 years for robbery, respectively.
“These individuals have been held accountable for their actions committed on December 5, 2019, when they robbed a supermarket, injured a police officer during a shootout where one of their own was shot and killed,” said Sergeant Josephine Rani.
Rani added that Sasolburg police received a report regarding a triggered alarm at a store in Sasolburg.
The members requested backup, and when it arrived, a gunfight broke out between the police and the criminals.
A police sergeant was hurt, and one suspect was shot dead. Two suspects were apprehended, while one escaped the scene in a white Mercedes Benz, which was subsequently discovered abandoned.
The next day, this suspect went to Vanderbijlpark police station to file a hijacking accusation, stating that his white Mercedes was seized and dropped up somewhere near Orange fields.
The sergeant who was supporting the subject checked his version against the information circulated by Sasolburg police and phoned them. The third suspect was later apprehended by Sasolburg investigators at the Vanderbijlpark police station.
“The Investigating officer, Sergeant Chrissie Van der Linde, left no stone unturned in order to make sure that justice is served and all three accused were positively linked to the crime and were convicted,” Rani said.
IOL