Two men, who were convicted of the murder of a Denver businessman, were each sentenced to 32 years and life imprisonment by the Johannesburg High Court on July 20.
The Cleveland SAPS communications officer, Constable Mpho Mashakane, said on May 10, 2013, five men robbed and killed Mr Garath Mathew Hornsby at his petrol station along Main Reef Road and Shot Street.
“He was loading some items into his car boot when the men approached him. One man pointed a firearm at him. A fight ensued and Mr Hornsby was shot. He was pronounced dead on arrival at hospital,” said Const Mashakane.
She said the men took two laptops, cellular phones and the deceased’s wallet before fleeing in a getaway car parked outside the petrol station. One of the men fled in a different direction.
It was later discovered that the getaway car they were using had been hijacked in Ekuvukeni in KwaZulu-Natal on May 6, 2013.
“Following the investigations, one man, Phumulani Ngwane, was found in possession of the getaway car at the Denver Hostel later that night. He was positively linked to the crime. Innocent Ngubane was later arrested by the Nhlanhleni SAPS in KwaZulu-Natal for a house robbery. He was then linked to the murder of Mr Hornsby,” she said.
Const Mashakane said three more suspects were arrested during the investigations, however all three died of natural causes while in custody.
She said the two were each sentenced to 15 years for robbery, 15 years for unlawful possession of firearm, two years for possession of ammunition and life for murder.
The investigating officer, Detective Warrant Officer Patrick Raletsemo, thanked the community for its help in securing the conviction.
