A man from Winterveldt in Shoshanguwe outside Pretoria will spend a long time behind bars for two murders he committed in 2017 and 2018.

The Ga-Rankuwa regional court sentenced Odirile Figland (27) to two life terms for murder and a cumulative 85 years for other serious offences on Friday.

Figland was convicted on two counts of murder, one of attempted murder, two of unlawful possession of a firearm, two of unlawful possession of ammunition, one of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm, and one of housebreaking with intent to commit an offence.

In June 2017, at a tavern in Odi (Winterveldt), Figland was playing dice with a group of men when a squabble ensued.

Figland took out a gun and started firing shots at one of the men who managed to flee without being shot, says NPA regional spokesperson Herny Mamothame.

Shortly afterwards, Zonele Abrahams approached Figland, armed with a beer bottle, to confront him about trying to shoot his friend.

“One of Figland’s friends grabbed the bottle from Abrahams and hit him on the head. Pandemonium erupted and during it all, Figland pulled out a gun and fired three shots at Abrahams. Two missed him but the third hit him in the abdomen. He died on his way to hospital.”

In a separate incident in Winterveldt in March 2018, Figland approached three women who were walking home from a tavern.

He called one of them by name (Dineo) before asking them where they were heading to.

Mamothame says one of them, identified as Susan, responded and said their destination was not his concern.

“This angered Figland. He began assaulting Susan, but she managed to free herself and ran into a nearby yard. He followed her into the yard and started assaulting her again.

“The owner of the house, Isaiah Mabena, and his wife went out to investigate the commotion in their yards. They saw Figland assaulting Susan and told him to stop,” Mamothame says.

“He stopped while swearing at them. He promised to come back and show them ‘who he was’. He later came back with a friend, who handed him a gun. He then fired shots at the windows of the house before breaking the door open. Upon entering the house, he fired several shots at Mabena, who later died in hospital.”

Mamothame says advocate Takalani Muneri urged the court not to deviate from the prescribed minimum sentence.

“He argued that Figland was a dangerous killer who should be removed from society. He further highlighted Figland’s previous conviction on a robbery charge in January 2014, wherein he got a five-year suspended sentence.

“Judge Francis Snyman agreed with the state. He alluded to the responsibility bestowed on the courts to protect society by imposing sentences that would restore the credibility of the judiciary.”

He says the Director of Public Prosecutions in the North West, Dr Rachel Makhari Sekhaolelo, lauded the state prosecutor and the investigating officer for ensuring that justice was served.