Johannesburg - A police officer who shot and killed a woman he had accused of stealing his cellphone was expected to be sentenced today in the South Gauteng High Court.
Themba Sangweni, who was a police detective at Heidelberg police station, will be sentenced for murdering Nomathamsanqa Khoboi and endangering the lives of the people present at the crime scene at the time.
Sangweni, 31, had accused Khoboi of stealing his cellphone as at a Vosloorus tavern.
“They left the tavern only to return moments later,” the State said. Upon their return to the tavern, the accused demanded his cellphone from the deceased repeatedly. The deceased replied that she did not have the accused’s cellphone and that she left it where they were.”
The State said Sangweni fired several shots at Khoboi while she was seated. She was declared dead on the scene.
Two weeks ago, a sergeant in the VIP protection unit of the SAPS was sentenced to 25 years’ imprisonment for the 2019 double murder of his girlfriend and an Uber driver.
On May 1, 2019, Sergeant Geshwin Sweni had argued with his girlfriend at his father’s house in Edenpark.
His girlfriend decided to leave and called an Uber car to fetch her. The vehicle arrived, she got inside and the Uber driver drove off.
Sweni followed them and shot at the vehicle.
As he was shooting, the Uber driver lost control of the car and hit a gate at Edenpark. Sweni’s girlfriend got out of the car and tried to run away but he shot at her.
Both his girlfriend and the Uber driver died immediately at the scene.
IOL