Businessman sentenced to two life terms and 6 years for two murders
"An argument arose between Khan and a member of CTR, Khan took out a gun and fatally shot him and a bystander, who also died on the scene."
The Pretoria High Court sentenced Pakistani businessman Muhamed Sajid Khan to two life terms and six years imprisonment for two counts of murder and attempted murder on Monday.
On February 1, 2020, six members of the Concerned Tshwane Residents (CTR) went to one of Khan’s properties in Luttig Street, Pretoria West, to verify whether he was the rightful owner of the property in question.
Upon arrival, an argument broke out between Khan and a member of the CTR.
Khan took out a firearm and fatally shot him and a bystander, who also died on the scene, and attempted to shoot another CTR team member, said NPA regional spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana.
Mahanjana said according to one of the testimonies of one of the witnesses, who is a CTR member, after the shooting incident the members of CTR went to the police station to report the matter.
“When they arrived, they saw Khan. Afraid of what he might do, they did not enter the police station but instead went back to the scene of the shooting.
“The police later came to the scene and it was then that they reported the matter to the police. Two days after the incident, Khan handed himself over to the police and was later convicted. He has been in custody since his conviction.”
She said the deceased’s father, Avelo Mbewu, in his victim impact statement, told the court that his wife miscarried after learning about the passing of their 20-year-old son.
“State advocate Eric Sihlangu argued that Khan showed no remorse for his actions and that the killings were premeditated because he went to the scene with an already cocked firearm. He, therefore, asked the court to impose the prescribed minimum sentence of life imprisonment for the counts of murder.
“In his judgment, Judge Masopa said Khan was not justified in his action. He did not take the court in his confidence by testifying to his evidence and explaining why he committed the offences. He further said Khan showed no signs of being a candidate for rehabilitation.”
Mahanjana said the director of public prosecutions advocate Sibongile Mzinyathi congratulated advocate Sihlangu for representing the state well and presenting a cogent case in court.
“He [Mzinyathi] also thanked Warrant Officer Sidney McCreanor and his investigating team from the SAPS Pretoria West detective services division for the good work that led to the conviction and this sentence. He said he hopes this sentence will send a strong message that such violent crimes will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted.”
Do you have more information about the story?
Please send us an email to editorial@rekord.co.za or phone us on 083 625 4114.
For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord’s websites: Rekord East
For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram
