A man who committed a trio of break-ins in Dullstroom has been sentenced to nine years in prison.

Solly Dibakwana was found guilty of the offences in the Belfast District Court.

The matter was referred to the Regional Court for sentencing.

He was arrested for housebreaking in July 2023, four months before SA bass angler John Wickham was killed during a break-in at his weekend rental in Dullstroom.

James Cumiao, Gil Manave and Azuzane Chambe all face murder and weapons charges and remain behind bars.

Dibakwana was found in possession of an estimated R100,000 worth of stolen goods from the three homes he had targeted.

The investigation was led by Detective Herbert Lerobane, who was also the lead investigator in the Wickham murder.

Warrant Officer Lerobane has since been promoted, with Dullstroom residents agonising over his departure following the well-deserved promotion.

The sentence comes on the back of a troubling 2023 in Dullstroom, where break-ins spiked to their highest level ever.

Dibakwana was found guilty of burglary and theft.

He targeted two homes in Dullstroom and another on the outskirts of the holiday town.

Almost all of the items stolen from the homes were recovered during his arrest on July 27 that year.

The loot mostly included electrical appliances and tools.

However, he did say that prosecutor Ms Manzini played a major role in securing the conviction.

Despite his departure from Dullstroom, Lerobane insisted on pushing ongoing cases, such as the Wickham murder, through the courts himself.

Lerobane declined to comment on the successes, referring inquiries to the province.