Pretoria - The High Court in Polokwane has sentenced 37-year-old Mpho Penuel Mbuyane to two life sentences in jail after convicting him for farm murders that took place near Zebediela in Limpopo.
“The accused [Mbuyane] was convicted on two counts of murder and three counts of house robbery. He was sentenced to two life imprisonment for the double murders and fifteen years for the house robberies,” said Limpopo police spokesperson Brigadier Motlafela Mojapelo.
“The trial court found that the 37-year-old Mbuyane entered the Kalkpoort game farm outside Zebediela on 20 August 2017, robbed and shot an elderly couple several times with a firearm.”
The couple, identified as Piet Van Zyl aged 68 and his wife Tilla aged 66 succumbed to the gunshot wounds at the crime scene.
The intruder then fled the scene with valuables he took from the deceased couple’s house.
“Soon after this horrendous incident, an intelligence driven operation was established to track down the suspect(s). The team was comprised of crime intelligence [unit of the SAPS], Limpopo tracking team, Limpopo provincial investigation unit and Heritage Protection Group (HPG) private security company,” said Mojapelo.
“This well coordinated operation led to the apprehension of eight suspects in Hazyview, Mpumalanga province on 04 September 2017.”
Charges against seven of the suspects were dropped during the trial proceedings, and only Mbuyane was positively linked to the crimes.
“The case was assigned to Warrant Officer Pila attached to the provincial detectives who worked tirelessly, assisted by the said team, to ensure that the suspect was ultimately incarcerated for life,” said Mojapelo.
Meanwhile, provincial commissioner of the SAPS in Limpopo, Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe has welcomed the two life sentences handed down by the superior court.
“These sentences should send a clear message to other criminals that the police will always be relentless when pursuing perpetrators of horrendous crimes and making sure they are brought to book,” said Hadebe.
African News Agency (ANA)