Johannesburg - First, he was arrested shortly after the murder of a Nigerian followed from the airport and shot dead in front of his gate.
But Thabo Mamadi was mistakenly released while his accomplices were tried and given life sentences for Edward Olisah’s murder.
Three years later, police apprehended him after tracking him down long and hard. But, when he went to court, the docket was not there and he was released again.
Finally, in March last year, he was arrested a third time and, on September 11, Judge George Maluleke found him guilty of murder and robbery with aggravating circumstances.
Mamadi received a 15-year sentence for the robbery and 25 years for the murder.
The judge ordered that both sentences run concurrently, giving Mamadi an effective 25-year sentence.
Mamadi now has another shot at freedom after Judge Maluleke on Monday granted him leave to appeal against both his conviction and sentence, saying he believed he had a reasonable prospect of success as another court might come to a different finding.
Mamadi, 28, formed part of a gang that followed passengers from OR Tambo International Airport, then robbed them.
On January 9, Zimbini Makuleni had just picked up her husband Olisah from the airport, and they were about to enter their gate at Kyalami Hills Estate in Midrand when Mamadi, Benson Kalushi and Sibusiso Mkhize attacked them and shot Olisah dead.
Mamadi, Kalushi and Mkhize were arrested later. A mistake resulted in Mamadi being released, but Kalushi and Mkhize went through a trial, were convicted and slapped with life sentences. After his arrest last year, Mamadi was convicted and sentenced but maintains his innocence.
One of the grounds of his appeal is that the court should have not accepted it when Makuleni pointed him out in court as one of the three men who had attacked them that morning.
The Star