A security guard’s commitment to duty resulted in the arrest of three men and conviction of two of them for robbery involving a high-speed chase and shoot-out in Morningside on 11 April.
Sanele Mbatha and Sakhile Goqo pleaded guilty to the charge and were sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment on 2 May by Magistrate Renier Boshoff, assisted by state prosecutor Lufuno Maphiri. Eight years were suspended for five years. The accomplice who drove the getaway vehicle denied the charge and was remanded in custody pending hearing at a later date.
The two convicts stole bottles of perfume worth R50 000 from a Red Square shop in Morningside Shopping Centre after smashing a window in the morning. This set off an alarm. As they ran to the vehicle in the parking lot with the co-accused inside, the guard alerted to break-in confronted them as they drove off resulting in a shoot-out.
The shoot-out continued as he pursued them in a vehicle forcing them to abandon their own. They ran into a hotel and were found hiding and arrested. The driver denied involvement in the crime and was remanded in custody. Ownership of the vehicle wasn’t specified and the stolen items were recovered.
Read: Turn your smartphone into a security camera
