Two Zimbabwean criminals were on Monday sentenced to 165 years imprisonment each by a South African magistrate in Musina.
The duo allegedly robbed hitchhikers along the N1 highway in South Africa’s Limpopo province.
The duo of Farai Mabosvo (29) and Jane Mukutiri (38) were each convicted on 11 counts of robberies with aggravating circumstances and assaults. They were slapped with 15 years for each count.
Limpopo Province SAPS spokesperson Colonel Moatshe Ngoepe said that the two accused persons were arrested in connection with robbery cases reported to them between 2014 and 2015.
Police Report
The Provincial Commissioner of the South African Police Service in Limpopo Lieutenant General Nneke Ledwaba, has warmly welcomed the sentencing handed down by the Musina Regional Court to 160 years imprisonment for 11 counts of robberies with aggravating circumstances and Assaults which is fifteen (15) years per charge.
The sentencing of the two accused, Farai Mabosvo aged 29 and Jane Mukutiri aged 38, who are both Zimbabwean Nationals, follows various incidents of assaults and robberies that were reported to the Police between the years 2014 and 2015 respectively.
In the Morebeng Policing area, on the 26th of November 2014 at about 13:00, the couple was driving in a grey Toyota Yaris, when they offered a lift to two men who were hitchhiking from Polokwane to Musina. While along the N1 road, the driver then took Ramokgopa road claiming that he was going to pick-up someone whom they were travelling with to Musina. Out of nowhere, the female passenger produced a firearm, pointed at them and demanded money. The driver quickly stopped the vehicle and searched all the victims. They were then robbed off their money and cell phones. Thereafter, they dropped them at the nearby bushes.
In another incident that occurred at Musina, on 2014-11-28 at about 10:30, two ladies unknown to each other hitchhiked a navy blue BMW with two occupants, a male driver and a female passenger, on the way just few kilometres before Musina town, the driver deviated from the N1 road to a secluded terrain without saying anything. The female passenger then produced a firearm and pointed the two ladies, the driver stopped the car, holding a knife. They robbed them their bags with about R50,000 cash amount of money, clothes and cell phones. They later dropped them and drove off.
Whereas in the Makhado Policing precinct, on 2015-01-25 at about 21:30, four victims including one female asked a lift from a Toyota Corolla, with a male driver and one female passenger driving along the N1 road to Pretoria. Suddenly, the driver stopped the vehicle and produced a firearm and started to demand money from them, as he was instructing them to alight from the car. One of the male victims grabbed the driver and a fight ensued. The driver dropped down the firearm which crashed into pieces and the victims noticed that it was a toy gun. The driver managed to escape while one of them contacted the Police who were already on the way. The Police swiftly responded and the female person was arrested immediately and the male suspect was chased until he got apprehended.
The suspects were linked to more than ten(10) cases with the same modus operandi. They were allocated to the investigating officer attached to the Saps Provincial Detective Unit, Sergeant Qhinani Mgabini. The Sergeant investigated all these cases meticulously until he ensured that the two criminals are sent to jail for a long time.
The Provincial Commissioner has commended the investigating Officer for applying his excellent tactics in the cases and this add more value in the efforts to keep this province a safer place at all times.
