Police hope the 32-year jail term handed to a 48-year-old man will send a strong message to other criminals and community members in general. Tokelo Kgatle (48), was recently sentenced in the Johannesburg Magistrates’ Court by Regional Magistrate Thandi Twele for several offences. He was found guilty of house robbery, possession of unlicensed firearm and ammunition and possession of robbed property.
For house robbery and possession of an unlicensed firearm, Kgatle was sentenced to 15 years on each count and for possession of robbed property he was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment. All sentences will run concurrently, meaning that he will spend an effective 20 years behind bars.
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The sentence relates to the crime Kgatle committed in April last year. According to the spokesperson for the Johannesburg Central Police Station, Captain Xoli Mbele, on the said day, Kgatle and two accomplices robbed a 31-year-old female at her home in Chamber Street, Booysens. “The victim was in the house with her child when one of the suspects pointed a firearm at her and closed her mouth with his hand. They demanded money and ransacked the house. They took an undisclosed amount of money and her cell phone,” Mbele explained.
He went on to explain that the criminals were disturbed by the victim’s husband who arrived to check on her and the baby. On arrival, he was confronted by a suspect who pointed a firearm at him. The husband managed to run away and screamed for help. Community members alerted the police and they arrested Kgatle as he was trying to run away.
Mbele said police recovered an unlicensed firearm with no serial number and live ammunition. They also recovered a cell phone that was taken from the victim. Two of his accomplices managed to run away.
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Mbele said the good conviction is the result of diligent work done by the investigating officer, Warrant Officer Isaac Mandla Zulu. “This should send a strong message to the community that crime does not pay, that the weed of crime bears bitter fruits. We shall continue to do our best through our investigations, to ensure that those who commit acts of crime are put away for a long time.”
