POLOKWANE – Members of the vigilante group, who called themselves ‘Boko Haram’, had been terrorizing communities in Dan Village and Lusaka village, outside Tzaneen and the surrounding areas.
According to police spokesperson, Col Moatshe Ngoepe, all convicts are from Dan Village in the Ritavi policing area and were convicted for the Rioters Assemblies Act and murder which they committed in this area.
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Of the thirteen men, Sipho Shabangu (32) was sentenced to an effective 10 years imprisonment without fine for killing Joel ‘Sakhile’ Nkgapele (27). “Shabangu hacked him to death with an axe next to a local tavern on 12 February 2017,” Ngoepe said.
He added that the other 12 accused were each sentenced to an effective six years imprisonment without fine for the Rioters Assemblies Act.
Saps Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General Nneke Ledwaba, has warmly welcomed the jail terms imposed on members of this notorious group, saying this will possibly bring relief to all the affected communities in the areas they terrorized.
Ledwaba also hailed the excellent performance by the Provincial Detectives and Crime Intelligence.
“We hope that these jail terms will serve as a deterrent to those who are still perpetrating these types of heinous acts,” concluded General Ledwaba.
