This resulted in the conviction of Bongani Mlambo (25) who received a heavy sentence for the two charges.
Tsiri told Kathorus MAIL of what happened on the day she made an arrest.
She said the complainant, Mduduzi Luvuno (23), was walking along Matsapa Street with his girlfriend at around 1.30am.
“They were from the BFN Tavern to the boyfriend’s place. When they walked past an open space, they saw two unknown people approaching them. One of them drew a firearm, pointed it at them and demanded their cell phones,” said Tsiri.
She added: “While still pointing at them with a firearm, a patrolling police van with two police constables from Vosloorus Police Station approached. Constables Joseph Mokobane and Thokozani Mthembu suspected something was going on and went to intervene.
“Seeing the police van approaching them, one of the two suspects ran away, but the police arrested Mlambo on the spot,” Tsiri said.
The police took the firearm for ballistic tests. It turned out to be a toy.
On October 29, Mlambo made his first appearance at the Vosloorus Regional Court. He was found guilty on April 2 and sentenced to nine years in prison on both counts.
The court also found him unfit to possess a firearm.
Tsiri said she was proud as she did something good to get justice for the two victims.
“I hope the sentence will send a strong message to everyone who thinks of committing a crime,” Tsiri said.
Communication officer at Vosloorus SAPS Capt Piet Rossouw warned community members not to walk alone from taverns at night. “People must walk in large groups to avoid a situation faced by Luvuno.”
He warned that walking alone makes people to be more vulnerable to criminals.
