Rustenburg – Two men were sentenced to life imprisonment for murder at the High Court in Pretoria on Thursday, North West police said.
Spokesperson Brigadier Sabata Mokgwabone said 25-year-old Amukelani Christopher Mboweni and 24-year-old Andrew Chauke were each sentenced to an additional 15 years for car hijacking, five years for unlawful possession of a firearm and three years for unlawful possession of ammunition.
He said the two were sentenced after a murder that was committed between August 20 and 21 in 2016 outside Brits.
"It was reported at that time that police were summoned to Dagga Road outside Skeerpoort, near Hartbeespoort Dam, where a motionless body of Mamba Richard Nyoko, 59, was found in a ditch. Nyoko was certified dead by paramedics," he said.
"A curriculum vitae of Nyoko’s neighbour, which was found on the scene, led the police to his family in Damonsville, outside Brits.
’’Consequently, Nyoko’s Nissan Tiida was tracked and found at Villeria four days after the incident, driven by a 35-year-old male."
He said the man told the police he had bought the vehicle from another man.
"The latter eventually informed the police that the vehicle was delivered to him by the two accused, who at that time resided at Brazzaville, near Atteridgeville. The accused were afterwards pointed to the police and arrested."
He said during court proceedings it transpired that he accused were hitch-hiking in the Brits CBD when Nyoko offered them a lift on August 20, 2016.
"On their way to Skeerpoort, one of the accused pointed a firearm at Nyoko and ordered him to stop the vehicle.
’’The victim was then forced to occupy a passenger seat at the back while one of the accused drove in the direction of Rietfontein. The victim was ultimately shot three times in the head and his body dumped in the ditch."
He said the two were found guilty of murder, car hijacking and unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition in July 2020.
African News Agency (ANA)