Brutal attacker sentenced for a long time

Justice was served when a perpetrator from Uganda, Sulaiman Kamya, was sentenced to two life terms for murder and an additional 15 years for house robbery in the Modimolle Regional Court on Wednesday, 22 May.

The Provincial Commissioner of the SAPS in Limpopo, Lt Genl Thembi Hadebe has hailed the meticulous investigation of detectives at SAPS Northam in the Waterberg District, following this hefty sentence handed down to the Ugandan national for the brutal murder of a couple in 2019.

Kamya (29) was arrested after the charred remains of Joshua Mutaasa (38) and his wife Rita (43) were discovered in their Wildebeeslaagte residence on the outskirts of Northam on 4 January 2019.

The investigation revealed that the couple had been violently attacked with a sharp object, and the perpetrator then set the house alight. The deceased couple’s silver BMW sedan was also missing. Investigators followed leads to Rustenburg on the same date, and a breakthrough came when a cellphone belonging to one of the deceased was found in the suspect’s home, together with blood-stained trousers belonging to the suspect. Leads were followed to an empty field where several items belonging to the deceased were recovered. The victim’s vehicle was traced to a local scrapyard and seized by the police.

Kamya was arrested and charged with two counts of murder and house robbery. It was revealed at the trial that the accused attempted to buy the vehicle in question from the couple, the vehicle would only be handed over once the full amount was paid. He only paid a deposit and later returned and requested the money back as he would not be able to come up with the rest of the money. When the victims told him that they would return the money at a later date, the accused then became aggressive, forced his way into their home, and demanded the cash back. He then brutally killed the couple, stole some of their property, and fled in the BMW after setting the house on fire.

Lt Genl Hadebe was full of praise for the investigating officer, Dt Sgt Thabiso Seshoka, and said:

“The sentencing of the accused serves as a stern warning that such brutal acts of violence will not be tolerated in our society. Our police officers remain dedicated to working tirelessly to prevent such tragedies and to bring those responsible for criminal activities to justice.”