The three suspects, Calvin Congo Mabunda (42), Sibusizo Shamase Mkhwanazi (43), and Bhova Sticks Nkuna (54) targeted pensioners and people withdrawing large sums of money at ATMs. They also had spotters inside the banks and had victims followed to their homes. In one instance, one of the gang members, Mabunda, allegedly held a knife to a woman’s throat demanding cash after she had bought beer and food for a lobola celebration.

The gang’s violent crime spree resulted in the police appointing a special task team to investigate. Their luck finally ran out in January 2018 after robbing a Super Spar employee at gunpoint. The employee had allegedly collected R20 000 worth of loose change from the bank and was taking it back to the supermarket when he was accosted by the gang. During the scuffle to take the money, a shot was fired in the air, which alerted the police who were patrolling nearby. The police responded and gave chase until they were all arrested.

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According to police, their arrest led to a sudden drop in violent crimes and robberies that had plagued the Giyani policing area. The trio was also linked to other additional offenses in Gauteng and Northwest provinces. They were convicted on 19 charges that included murder, robbery, assault, attempted murder, possession of firearms, ammunition, and kidnapping in the Mopani district in 2017 and 2018. Mabunda received an effective 250 years in prison, Mkhwanazi got 278 years and Nkuna was sentenced to 177 years.

Commenting on the sentences, the provincial police commissioner, Lt Gen Thembi Hadebe, said she was delighted about the permanent removal of the three criminals from society. “These men never showed any remorse while committing their barbaric acts. I believe this will serve as a deterrent to would-be criminals, they will know that crime does not pay,” she said.