Middelburg High Court slaps duo with life for violent crimes

Tumi Joseph Vuma (35) from Burgersfort and Fikson Seakga Hine (31) from Polokwane, were convicted on three counts of robbery with aggravating circumstances, two counts of unlawful possession of firearms, two counts of unlawful possession of ammunition, and three counts of murder and kidnapping for a series of crimes committed between June and August 2019.

• On June 25, 2019, the accused, together with their co-accused Zweli Lukhele, embarked on a violent rampage near Wonderfontein, Belfast.

They held a tavern owner and his wife at gunpoint and assaulted them. They then demanded money and a firearm and robbed them of a 9mm pistol, a magazine with 15 rounds of ammunition, a safe, a flat-screen television set, an Opel Corsa key, alcohol, cellphones, and an undisclosed amount of cash.

• In addition, from August 3–4, 2019, in Wonderfontein, the accused asked for a lift from David Mthimunye, who was travelling in his car with Emma Sylvia Nkosi and Thomas Sibiya.

Along the road, the accused threatened Mthimunye with firearms and demanded his vehicle.

They fatally shot Mthimunye and Sibiya and threatened Nkosi not to report the incident to anyone. They then drove off with the deceased’s vehicle until they reached eMalahleni, where they accosted another motorist, Sipho Given Gumede.

They threatened Gumede with firearms, forced him inside his vehicle and drove along with him until they reached Mbheki informal settlement and fatally shot him.

Gumede’s lifeless body was dumped near the railway line, and they further drove off in both vehicles to Kwaggafontein, where they were sold.

Through police investigations, the accused were traced and arrested.

In court, Vuma and Hine pleaded not guilty. Lukhele entered a plea agreement with the state and was sentenced to 35 years imprisonment in February 2023.
The trials were separated, and to prove the state case, State Advocate Gertrude Nkosi called Lukhele to testify as a state witness against the accused.

Post-mortem reports proving that the three victims’ cause of death was gunshot injuries, were presented. Victim impact statements compiled by the deceased’s family members facilitated by Court Preparation Officer Given Mampye, were presented.

In their statements, they spoke of the trauma they experienced following the death of their loved ones. They said their lives had drastically changed.

The court sentenced the accused accordingly. It ordered the sentences to run concurrently, the effective sentence being life imprisonment each.

They were further declared unfit to possess firearms in terms of Section 103 of the Firearms Control Act 60 of 2000.