A 42-year-old man has been sentenced to 15 years in jail after confessing to a string of housebreakings across Pretoria.
Steven Banda has been linked to housebreaking, theft of motor vehicle and possession of illegal firearms cases in, among others, Silverton, Hercules, Roseville and Wonderboompoort. He was sentenced at the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court last Thursday.
He first came to the attention of the police after his arrest in November of 2015 by Wonderboompoort police, according to spokesperson Constable Mandlakayise Zwane.
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“Police had been responding to a tip-off by a member of the local CPF,” Zwane said.
“They spotted two suspicious men carrying a crowbar and appliances from a yard.”
Warrant Officer Jacques Oosthuizen and Sergeant Larissa Laas rushed to another house being targeted by Banda and his 35-year-old accomplice Tebogo Mashaba.
When the two men from Mamelodi could not prove a flat-screen TV and electrical appliances in their grey Renault Clio belonged to them, they were arrested.
“The pair later appeared in court but were both granted bail,” said Zwane.
Following their initial arrest investigations linked them to various other crimes around Pretoria using their fingerprints.
Mashaba was later arrested again in Johannesburg after he was linked to a case of business robbery.
“He would later plead guilty to cases of housebreaking, possession of stolen property and possession of housebreaking implements in Wonderboompoort,” said Zwane.
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Mashaba received a three-year jail sentence after his guilty plea.
Police again apprehended Banda after a housebreaking and theft of a motor vehicle in Silverton.
Wonderboompoort station commander Lieutenant-Colonel Matume Mabale congratulated investigating officer Sergeant Brenda Baloyi for the sterling work which led to the conviction.
Baloyi was applauded for her dedication to ensuring the criminals were kept behind bars.
Mabale urged community members to be vigilant at all times and report all suspicious activities to the police.
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