A 29-year-old man accused of blackmailing the family of two kidnapped children of Vosman to pay him a ransom was found guilty for his acts.
Mr Sabelo Kubheka was sentenced to five years imprisonment for charges of extortion by the Witbank Regional Court on November 15.
Also read: Three more suspects arrested on the Vosman kidnapping and murder case
During the time when the investigation for Gabisile Shabane (13) and her 15 month old nephew Nkosikhona Ngwenya was at its early stages, Kubheka featured himself in the midst of the investigation by claiming that he knew about the whereabouts of the children.
“He eventually called the family and demanded a ransom under the guise that he will help them find the victims,” explained Brig Leonard Hlathi.
The matter was brought to the attention of the investigating team of the case who immediately instituted a probe. It was during the probe when a search for him was launched, traced and arrested at Vosloorus in Gauteng, on 7 February 2018. Kubheka has since been kept in custody since his arrest.
“Kubheka was sentenced following an investigation which was conducted by the police regarding the two children who were kidnapped from their home in Vosman near Witbank. The children were abducted by three men who broke into their home on 28 January this year,” he added.
Hlathi says that the four suspects who are linked in the kidnapping and murder case, namely Mr Thokozani Msibi (32), Thulani Thobela (26), Donie Cavin Boshielo (22) and Mthobisi Brilliant Mkhize (26) are expected to stand trial at the Circuit of the Pretoria High Court sitting in Delmas August 19 next year.
