A man has been sentenced to five years in prison for an attempted cash-in-transit (CIT) heist in 2020.

Sandile Molete (40) of Winterveld, Gauteng, appeared in the Soshanguve Regional Court last Thursday – the same court that had earlier convicted him of the offence.

Molete and his accomplices entered a clothing store at a Soshanguve mall and held the employees and guards collecting cash at gunpoint on February 4, 2020.

According to Hawks spokesperson Captain Bonnie Nxumalo, the police responded quickly.

“The police entered the store during the ordeal and arrested Molete while his accomplices fled on foot,” Nxumalo said.

The Germiston-based Hawks’ serious organised crime investigation team was alerted to the incident and handled the matter.

Nxumalo said Molete was arrested, charged and taken to court, where he was granted bail.

However, he skipped bail until a warrant for his arrest was issued.

Molete was rearrested by the Hawks on June 9 and convicted and sentenced on June 22.