MBOMBELA- A 28-year-old man has been sentenced to two life imprisonment for murder, 15 years imprisonment for robbery, five years for unlawful possession of a firearm and three years for unlawful possession of ammunition.
The sentencing by Judge Daisy Molefe comes amid Mr Jabulani Elvis Maseko was found guilty at the Nelspruit Circuit court on two counts of murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances, unlawful possession of firearm and ammunition.
The police’s Brigadier Selvy Mohlala said, “Maseko together with his accomplice, whom he refused to point out, went into a certain house at Zwelishana in Pienaar near Nelspruit on 29 July 2012, to steal tyres from the vehicle that was parked outside. One of the occupants in the house, Mr Jabulani Mathabatha, 38, heard them and went outside to investigate.
He added that Maseko and his accomplice ran towards him (Mathabatha) after noticing him and as a result he tried to ran back to the house but they managed to push the door open and forced Mathabatha inside the house at gunpoint.
“In the process of the struggle, an 18-year-old niece of Mathabatha, Mangaliso, was awaken by the disturbing noise and went to investigate. He was met with a bullet that seriously injured him and thereafter the accused shot and wounded Mathabatha,”Brig Mohlala.
He added that they then demanded the keys of the vehicle that they were stealing tyres from but the keys were with the owner of the vehicle who was not present at the time of the incident.
“The accused then shot Mathabatha for the second time and fled the scene with two tyres that were stolen from the vehicle. Paramedics were called to the scene, Mangaliso died on the way to hospital and Mathabatha died the following day,” He said.
The arrest of Maseko came after he was found in an unlawful possession of a Z88 Parabellum, 9mm pistol with the serial number filled off at Pienaar on 22 August 2012. “The pistol was sent to ballistic for tests and it was positively linked with the cartridges that were found at the murder scene of the pair. Maseko was since kept in custody until Judge Molefe was convinced that the accused had intentionally and wrongfully robbed and fatally shot the victims,” he concluded.
