Johannesburg - Four Eastern Cape cash-in-transit robbers were sentenced to life imprisonment and a combined 120 additional years by the Butterworth High Court.
The four committed a heist in Butterworth in July 2013 which resulted in the death of a Coin Security guard.
Siyabonga Tshayela, 38, Zimasa Diniso, 41, Xolisa Mazizi, 35, and Zibuzele Booi, 54, who have been on trial for more than seven years, were convicted on charges of murder, robbery, the possession of an unlicensed firearm and the possession of ammunition.
According to Eastern Cape Hawks spokesperson Captain Yolisa Mgolodela, all four were sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of a Coin Security employee and an additional 20 years for robbery with aggravated circumstances, five years for the possession of an unlicensed firearm and five years for the possession of ammunition.
The suspects were arrested in 2013 as a group of six after robbing the security guards of R300 000.
According to the police statement, Coin Security guards were delivering cash at a mall in Butterworth when six armed men robbed them of R300 000 and two service pistols, and fired shots at the guards. One guard was shot and declared dead at the scene.
They remained in custody until their conviction and sentencing, save for Simthembile Mwahla who escaped from court during the trial. One member of the group pleaded guilty in 2016 and was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment.
The Star