22-year-old Thamsanqa Hadebe and 19-year-old Alfred Mxolisi Shabalala were sentenced on Thursday (February 2) by the Estcourt Regional Court to 15 years’ imprisonment for robbery with aggravating circumstances.
This relates to an incident which happened on December 14 last year in which the two accused hijacked a family travelling along the Giant’s Castle Road in the Mooi River area.
The family came across an area where the road had been blocked with rocks and tree branches.
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When the father got out of the vehicle to clear the road, the two accused appeared and threatened the family with a firearm, knife and hammer. The accused climbed into the car and drove around for hours with the family still inside.
In the late afternoon, they stopped at a garage in Ladysmith, where the family managed to escape, except for a nine-year-old boy.
The accused drove off with the child still in the car and a manhunt ensued involving police, traffic officers, the public and Secure SA. A short while later, the vehicle was traced to the N3, where it was brought to a standstill at the Wagendrift turn-off.
The suspects were arrested and the child reunited with his family.
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