Ditle finally imprisoned for 22 years
He was sentenced to 22 years of imprisonment after he was found guilty on four counts of the robbery he had committed about four years ago
Mofeti David Ditle is finally facing the consequences of his crimes after a long a trial and court postponements.
He was sentenced to 22 years of imprisonment after he was found guilty on four counts of the robbery he had committed about four years ago.
On September 9, 2015, Ditle and three other suspects stole a red Toyota Corolla in Klarinet.
The owner of the car went to Klarinet to visit his girlfriend and baby.
They sat in the car talking, when Ditle and three other men disturbed them.
The man begged the quartet to not hurt his girlfriend and baby.
They then took him with his car and drove to a graveyard where they tied him up and left him there.
He managed to seek help at a nearby church after the suspects had disappeared.
On September 10, the police got a tip off that one of the suspects which was Ditle, was spotted in Siyabuswa.
He was found in possession with the red Toyota Corolla and its keys.
The police also requested to search his house and found three illegal firearms loaded with bullets next to his bed and 29 empty cartridges.
The 47-year-old appeared in court and was denied bail.
Witbank SAPS Trio Task Team investigated the case and finally after more than three years, Ditle was convicted on Tuesday, July 23, for robbery with aggravation, kidnapping of the man, possession of illegal firearms and ammunition.
Ditle was sentenced to 15 years for the robbery and another 15 years for possession of illegal firearms; therefore the judgement was that he takes 15 years for both counts.
He was also sentenced five years for kidnapping and two years for ammunition, therefore in total Ditle will be imprisoned for 22 years.
Ditle was the only suspect found and convicted for the crime.
Lt. Colonel Solly Thobejane of the Witbank SAPS Trio Task Team said that it was a long case because of the court postponements.
“We would like to thank the witnesses for their patience and productivity; not everyone can be patient for such a long time. We would also like to thank the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) for the prosecution and lastly, the Trio Task Team members for their hard work,” he said.
He added that it is relieving that justice has been served once again.
