Stanley Bakili will serve life plus decades after being convicted of murdering Citymed director Lewis Siemens in Bloemfontein in 2018.
The mastermind behind the murder of a Bloemfontein businessman in 2018 has been sentenced to life imprisonment, bringing an end to a lengthy investigation and trial.
The Bloemfontein High Court sentenced Stanley Bakili on Thursday for the murder of Lewis Siemens in May 2018.
Siemens, the director of Citymed private hospital, was shot and killed on 10 May in the parking basement of Preller Plein in Bayswater, Bloemfontein.
Life sentence for Bloemfontein businessman’s murder
Bakili, the mastermind behind the killing, was arrested near the crime scene shortly after the businessman’s death.
Free State police spokesperson Sergeant Mahlomola Kareli said that eight other people were taken into custody as a result of additional investigation conducted by Lieutenant Colonel Tieho Flyman of the Provincial Organised Crime Unit.
The suspects include three police officials, one member of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) and a former attorney.
During the trial, the identified hitman pleaded guilty, and he entered into a plea bargain with the state. As part of the plea bargain, the hitman testified as a state witness against the other accused.
Kareli said the hitman was sentenced to 23 years in prison. Meanwhile, the one police official died while in custody, and the six other accused were acquitted during the trial.
Bakili was convicted on multiple charges. He subsequently was handed life imprisonment for murder; 15 years’ imprisonment for extortion; 20 years for money laundering; 15 years for the Prevention of Organised Crime Act (POCA); and five years for possession of an unlicensed firearm and unlicensed ammunition, respectively.
Saps hails breakthrough
The court ruled that the sentences will not run concurrently, meaning Bakili will serve the full term.
Free State Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant General Baile Motswenyane said the South African Police Service (Saps) remains committed to fighting serious and violent crimes to ensure the safety and security of all who live in the Free State.
“We commend the diligent work of our investigators and the prosecution team in securing this successful conviction,” Motswenyane said.
