Johannesburg - Three teenagers have been slapped with lengthy prison terms for robbing a shopkeeper and hacking him to death with an axe in his store.
Akhona Mthatha and Lerato Yokwana, both 19, as well as a 17-year-old male accomplice, were sentenced on Tuesday by Bloemfontein High Court, sitting at Bethulie, for the robbery and murder of the Bangladeshi national in September last year.
Spokesperson for the Free State police Brigadier Motantsi Makhele said the trio, armed with an axe, went to the 41-year-old Bangladeshi man’s shop where they started hacking him.
Makhele said the trio fled the scene with money, groceries and cigarettes, “leaving him to die alone inside the shop”.
“A neighbour heard the screams and she immediately alerted the police,” Makhele said.
Police went to the scene and caught the suspects still carrying the stolen goods and the money.
“The suspects were denied bail throughout their trial. They realised that the State had a water-tight case against them, and pleaded guilty as charged and they were handed a reduced sentence,” he said.
All of them were slapped with 15 years in jail for robbery, Mokoena also got 15 years for murder, while Yokwana and Mthatha were handed 20 year sentences for murder.
The Provincial Police Commissioner, Lieutenant- General Baile Motswenyane commended the investigating officer, detective warrant officer TN Ziswana.
Motswenyane said Ziswana did a sterling job in ensuring that the three faced the might of the law, and bringing closure for the family of the deceased.
IOL