Kidnappers handed hefty sentence

The Durban Regional Court this week imposed a heavy sentence on two convicted kidnappers.

Olwethu Malakalaka (33) and Andile Tubeni (50) were each sentenced to 64 years’ imprisonment for robbery with aggravating circumstances, kidnapping, attempted murder, and possession of unlicensed firearms and ammunition.

The court heard how on 11 June 2023, the victim (33) was hijacked and kidnapped by the accused outside a nightclub in Cato Manor. His vehicle was later found abandoned in the Berea area.

A case of hijacking and kidnapping was reported at Cato Manor Police Station, and the docket was allocated to the Hawks members from Durban Serious Organised Crime Investigation.

The accused demanded a ransom of R50 000 from the victim’s girlfriend and colleagues. An amount of R5 000 was withdrawn from the victim’s bank account.

Hawks members worked tirelessly, and a joint operation was conducted five days after the kidnapping.

The accused were spotted driving along the M25 towards Inanda, and were stopped by the police.

One of the men fled the scene and fired shots towards the police, who responded in self-defence, fatally wounding him.

Malakalaka and Tubeni were arrested. The victim was successfully rescued and taken to the hospital for medical examination.

Once convicted, each man was sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment for armed robbery with aggravating circumstances, 15 years for kidnapping, 2 years for attempted murder, 15 years for possession of an unlicensed firearm, and 1 year for the unlawful possession of ammunition.

The sentence imposed for attempted murder, possession of an unlicensed firearm, possession of ammunition, and 5 years for the kidnapping count will run concurrently. Thus, they will serve 25 years’ direct imprisonment.

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