After nearly two decades, a case of armed robbery involving a Kimberley police officer was scrapped from the roll in the Kimberley Magistrates’ Court on Thursday.
Charges against Joseph Moncho, 49, a former captain with the Galeshewe SAPS, along with 65-year-old, John Matyalana who was one of seven men convicted of the Karibib airfield heist in September 2000, were eventually dropped on Thursday, 19 years after the two were initially implicated in an armed robbery that occurred in Kimberley on February 2 1998.
According to the charge sheet, the two were accused of threatening Gerhardus Antonie Botes with a firearm, firing a single shot before making off with cash, cheques, a watch and keys with a combined value of nearly R70 000.
While Moncho declined to comment on the incident on Thursday, Matyalana was visibly relieved following the court appearance, saying that he was thrilled to be able to put the matter behind him and carry on with his life.
Matyalana’s son, Aaron Fago, on Thursday explained that the biggest contributing factor to the delay of the pending case in Kimberley had been the fact that his father was completing a 20-year sentence in a Namibian jail for his involvement in the hijacking of a Coin Security aircraft at the Karibib airfield when the robbers escaped with 33 containers of money containing more than R4,5 million (ND4,5-million).
Namibian police later arrested the suspects after a brief search involving a helicopter and a light aircraft.
The seven accused were handed sentences ranging from eight to 25 years with Judge Gerhard Maritz stating his intention to “send a clear and unambiguous message to potential perpetrators of serious crimes who entertain the notion that crime (especially for monetary gain) pays: it does not.”
“My dad was accused of the armed robbery in Kimberley in February 1998 but was arrested on an unrelated charge in Namibia in September that year,” said Fago. “In 2000, he was given a 20-year-sentence in Namibia and was only released two years ago.”
“Originally, there were other suspects who were also implicated in the robbery in Kimberley but their case was separated from my dad and Moncho’s while he was in custody.
“Their trial only began much later.”
The pair first appeared before Magistrate Cordelia Kgopa on January 21, 2016, nearly 18 years after the crime was committed, with Matyalana representing himself.
“It has been a very long wait for the outcome of this case and I am absolutely thrilled to be able to put this behind me,” Matyalana said on Thursday. “It has been nearly 20 years of waiting and it was a huge relief to see the matter concluded.
“The case was scrapped from the roll as both the complainant and witness have died but this did not make too much of a difference to the outcome in the case.
“They arrested the wrong people and we would not have been found guilty.”