Street vendor’s brutal murder earns east man life behind bars
Prince Chauke lured the deceased into his home, robbed her of her money and vehicle and killed her.
The Pretoria High Court handed down a life sentence to Prince Hlangoma Chauke (33) on Wednesday, August 7, for the calculated and premeditated murder of Mamatlou Salome Mashiloane, bringing a measure of justice to the victim’s loved ones.
Chauke from Cullinan also got 15 years imprisonment for robbery with aggravating circumstances.
National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana said the court ordered that the sentences should run concurrently and that Chauke be declared unfit to possess a firearm.
Mahanjana said the deceased was a street vendor in Mamelodi where Chauke was selling cigarettes on the streets.
She said on December 9, 2021, the deceased went with Chauke to his residence in Cullinan under the impression that he wanted her to view the furniture that he was selling.
“On arrival at Chauke’s residence, he then robbed the deceased of her phone, R8 000 and her vehicle Nissan NP200. He killed her and dumped her body in a veld in Hartbeespoort.”
Mahanjana said on the same day, Chauke used the vehicle to transport his children to Limpopo where he later sold the vehicle.
Chauke was arrested on February 4, 2022, after he was pointed out to the police by the man he had sold the car to.
In court, Chauke pleaded not guilty to the charges preferred against him.
“However, the state was able to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt.”
Mahanjana said during sentence proceedings Chauke asked the court to deviate from imposing the prescribed minimum sentences as he is a first-time offender and that he has been in custody for more than two years since his arrest.
“However, in aggravation, state prosecutor Advocate Eric Sihlangu argued that Chauke showed no remorse for the crimes he committed and that he was convicted of serious offences that are highly prevalent in the court.”
Sihlangu said Chauke was known to the deceased, she trusted him and that he abused that trust when he carefully planned the commission of the offences.
“Therefore, Sihlangu asked the court not to deviate from the prescribed minimum sentences and to impose a sentence that would send out a strong message to the community and other offenders,” Mahanjana said.
Mahanjana said when handing down the sentence, Judge Rochelle Francis-Subbiah agreed with the state that Chauke showed no remorse and that he abused the deceased’s trust by committing such a heinous offence against her.
“She added that these crimes have elements of violence and aggression that result in long-lasting emotional and psychological trauma and in this case, the deceased lost her life, and her children and family members suffered a great loss.”
Furthermore, the impact of the offence along with the legitimate interest of society weigh stronger than Chauke’s personal circumstances. Courts are entrusted with the responsibility to protect the interests of the community and deal with these kinds of atrocious behaviour sternly and effectively.
Mahanjana said the judge found no substantial and compelling circumstances to deviate from imposing the prescribed minimum sentence and that the sentence would also protect communities from further harm.
She said the NPA welcomed the sentence.
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