Robert Chisi (27), Lehlohonolo Motlomelo (33) and Thabo Lebofa (28) finally heard their fate in the Durban High Court after they were sentenced for the murder of Leighton Frank Agg in September 2020.

According to NPA regional spokesperson Natasha Ramkisson-Kara, Chisi and Motlomelo worked for the deceased.

“The deceased, Leighton Agg, lived alone in a property that he was having refurbished, with the intention to sell at some stage. He and his father, Frank Agg Senior, were in business together where they refurbished old houses and then sold them. Chisi and Motlomelo worked there, chipping the building walls which were to be plastered.

“At some point, Leighton Agg informed them that he would be engaging the services of professional plasterers. This angered them as they believed that the job was theirs. Therefore, they hatched a plan to rob and murder him, recruiting Lebofa who was a friend of Motlomelo. They even created a WhatsApp group called, ‘Hustlers,’ where they communicated with each other,” explains Ramkisson-Kara.

Brutal murder

Ramkisson-Kara explains that on the day of the incident, they attacked Agg in his garage and tortured him to reveal the Pin to his bank accounts. They strangled him with an electric cord and bludgeoned him to death with a hammer. They stole his cellphones, laptop and wallet with his cards. Lebofa then drove Agg’s bakkie (with the body in it) to the Greytown area, where it was dumped in a river.

“He abandoned the vehicle at the Market Road off-ramp near Pietermaritzburg after stripping off the registration plates and licence disc. The men then transferred money from Agg’s bank account, made withdrawals and went on a shopping spree using his bank card.

“Agg’s body was later recovered by the police. Upon questioning, Chisi revealed his involvement in the crime. Agg Senior then enlisted the assistance of a private investigator who traced the other two men using cellphone tracking data,” she says.

Court proceedings

In court, senior state advocate Nadira Moosa led the evidence of Chisi’s statement, with cellphone data and evidence of financial transactions reflected on Agg’s bank statement. Moosa successfully argued for the court to increase the sentence for the robbery charges, from the prescribed minimum sentence of 15 years’ imprisonment to 20 years’ imprisonment. The state also submitted a Victim Impact Statement compiled by Agg Senior and facilitated by court preparation officer Thandeka Nadi Mofokeng.

In his statement, Agg Senior said that his son’s death had devastated their entire family and that they are still grieving. He said that he still cannot sleep, and the memories of the incidents following his son’s murder will haunt him forever.

The men were sentenced to life imprisonment for murder and 20 years’ imprisonment for robbery with aggravating circumstances.

The NPA welcomed the sentence and commended the work done by the prosecution and other stakeholders.