Five men get 545 years imprisonment for robbery, shooting at police

A group of men received long sentences after being convicted of several crimes following an armed robbery and shootout with the police back in 2018.

Phikolomzi Mpafa, 29, Wiseman Tulisile Tshelana, 49, Bongani Ngubo, 37, Phello Hugh Monyake, 49, and Eliah Mzolisi Mpiti 54, were sentenced at the Worcester Regional Court on Monday.

They received a combined 545 years imprisonment for robbery with aggravating circumstances, attempted murder, possession of prohibited firearms, possession of unlicensed firearms and possession of ammunition.

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However, the the court ordered that the sentences imposed run concurrently so that effectively each accused will serve 15 years of direct imprisonment.

Robbery at Italian liquor store

The sentences imposed stem from May 2018 when approximately 10 suspects entered an Italian liquor store in Zwelethemba in Worcester, Western Cape.

“They forced the staff to open the safe and robbed cash to the amount of R30 000 at gunpoint,” said Directorate for Priority Crime Prevention (Hawks) spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Siyabulela Vukubi.

The men then tried to force the guards of Fidelity Cash Solution to open their armored vehicle but they were unsuccessful.

“In the process, they managed to disarm the crewman of his service pistol and fled the scene in a Toyota Quantum minibus.

“When they were cornered by police, there was an exchange of gunfire which resulted in three suspects being wounded and two arrested.”

Two AK47 rifles, a submachine gun and two pistols were recovered, though one of these belonged to the crewman. A total of R30 000 in cash was recovered.

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Concurrent sentences

When the matter went to court, the accused were found guilty on some counts but not on others.

The sentences were handed down as follows:

• Accused 1 to 5 on counts 1 to 5: Robbery with aggravating circumstances sentenced to 15 years imprisonment on each count.
• Count 6: Not guilty
• Counts 7 to 12: Five years imprisonment on each count.
• Counts 13 to 17:Not guilty

In total, accused one, two and four were sentenced to 105 years imprisonment each, accused three was sentenced to 120 years imprisonment and accused five was sentenced to 110 years imprisonment.

In terms of Section 280 (2) of the Criminal Procedure Act, Act 51 of 1977, the court ordered that the sentences imposed run concurrently.

Effectively, each accused will serve 15 years of direct imprisonment.

The Provincial Head of the Hawks in Western Cape, Major General Makgato commended the collaborative work between the members of the National Priority Violent Crime unit, Worcester visible policing, crime intelligence, the local criminal record centre and the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) that saw the men brought to justice.