MBOMBELA – Mzwakhe Ephraim Madonsela (44), and Godwin Vilakazi (35), were on Tuesday sentenced to 18 months direct imprisonment by the Emalahleni Regional Court for bank card skimming related crimes.

According to Hawks spokesperson in Mpumalanga, Captain Dineo Lucy Sekgotodi, the pair were first arrested in April 2012 after investigations implicated them in several cases in Mpumalanga of theft, malicious damage to property, possession of illegal Point Of Sale (POS) devices and conspiracy to commit a crime. They were subsequently granted bail but absconded court proceedings.

“While on the run, they continued to commit similar offences, Hawks Serious Commercial Investigation unit’s probe revealed that the pair were part of a syndicate that had been operating for a while.”

“A crime intelligence-driven operation led to the pair being re-arrested in 2016. Bail was opposed successfully, they made a series of court appearances culminating in their recent conviction and sentence,” said Sekgotodi.