A 20th Avenue man was sentenced by the Alexandra Magistrates’ Court to eight years in prison for the robbery of a woman on the night of 4 January this year.
Pleading guilty, the accused Xolisa Jijwa (33), told the court that he committed the offence due to hunger as he was unemployed and survived only on unreliable piece jobs.
Evidence showed that at 9.30 pm on 4 January, the accused robbed Mihloti Ngobeni who had alighted from a taxi on 20th Avenue after work. The accused threatened her with a knife before grabbing her handbag which contained a phone charger, Samsung Galaxy cellphone, R800 cash, a makeup kit, bank cards, identity document and driver’s licence.
The victim was said to have called for help and some men came to her assistance. They chased Jijwa, who ran away. His pursuers stopped after he jumped into and crossed the flowing Jukskei River on foot towards Eastbank.
The following morning the victim went to search the area and was met by a man who asked her what she wanted. After explaining and describing Jijwa, the man told her where the robber lived.
The victim gathered her relatives and they barged into his home where they found him sleeping. They restrained Jijwa as he was about to pick up a knife. The victim recognised her phone charger in his room.
When asked about the incident, the man confessed to the robbery, pleaded for mercy and said he committed the offence due to hunger. He claimed to have thrown the handbag and its contents into the river. He was led to the river to search for them but none of the items were found.
Jijwa was taken to Alex Police Station after relatives of the victim saved him from a severe beating by the public that had gathered around.
Half of his sentence was suspended due to his guilty plea and the circumstances surrounding the crime.
