Pietermaritzburg- Two brothers have been sentenced to lengthy prison terms by a high court in KwaZulu-Natal for a house robbery which led to the murder of an elderly Ladysmith resident.
Police spokeswoman Colonel Thembeka Mbhele said Bongumusa Magasela, 21, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 12 years imprisonment for robbery and 22 years for murder for the 2015 robbery in which Satyaprakash Mangru, 64, died.
His brother, Mxolisi Magasela, 22, was sentenced five years imprisonment for robbery, five years for assault and life imprisonment for the murder.
Mbhele said that on 16 February 2015, at about 9.40am, neighbours heard screams coming from the home of an elderly couple in Kandahar Avenue, Ladysmith.
"The neighbours alerted police and on arrival they discovered that the homeowners had been robbed and tied up," she said. "One of the homeowners, Satyaprakash Mangru, 64, died in the incident from asphyxiation."
According to Mbhele, police arrested the suspects on 3 March 2015 in the Umbulwane area near Ladysmith.
Both accused were denied bail and remained in custody until they were sentenced on Thursday.