Durban - A NEWLANDS West driving school owner, who was hijacked last year, is unhappy with the sentence imposed on the offender.
The accused, Mxolisi Percival Majola, 29, was sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment for robbery with aggravating circumstances, in the Ntuzuma Magistrate’s Court last Wednesday.
Last May, Susheila Thavanarayan was conducting a driving lesson at a sports ground in Stromia Road with learner Layla Mohamed when they were held up by two men.
The ground was full that day, she said, due to a soccer match being played.
The men approached the car, while Mohamed was practising to park. One wore soccer attire, so they assumed he was a player.
She said one of them tried to snatch the key from the ignition and in the process, Mohamed was struck with the gun on her shoulder.
Both were forced out the car before the men sped off in the Daihatsu Sirion.
“He should have been handed a harsher sentence as he is a serial offender,” said Thavanarayan, after Magistrate Erenskia La Grange handed down the verdict and sentence.
“He needs to learn a lesson. Sometimes there is no justice in this country.”
Majola has two previous convictions of robbery and murder. He was sentenced to 10 years after pleading guilty to the robbery.
In his plea, he admitted he assaulted Mahomed and took the car by force.
He also stole an iPhone 8, a student card, a copy of a learner’s licence, and Thavanarayan’s wedding ring.
Majola said he was with his friend, Sanele, and was en-route to his stepmother’s home in Newlands when he spotted the car.
“We noticed the lady in the motor vehicle. There was also a passenger in the car. It appeared they were engaged in driving lessons. Sanele told me he had a gas firearm in his possession (and) that we could use it to rob her of her motor vehicle. I also had a firearm in my possession.
“I agreed that we can rob her and the passenger. I cocked the firearm and pointed it at the lady driver, while Sanele used his gun to threaten the passenger and pull her out of the car.”
He said Mohamed handed him the car keys and he gave it to Sanele.
“I sat in the passenger seat. Sanele drove back to KwaMashu where he left me at home and drove away.”
The accused said Sanele picked him up the following day. They planned to travel to Umkomaas as there was a buyer there. While driving in Umkomaas, police officers stopped them and advised them the car was reported stolen. They were arrested.
Sanele was apparently released as there was no evidence to detain him.
“I acted in common purpose with Sanele in robbing the complainant of the motor vehicle and their items.”
Prosecutor Kaystree Ramsamujh said the accused was placed under
correctional supervision for the previous convictions for robbery but it did not have any rehabilitative effect as he had gone on to commit other serious offences.
She said the accused acted in concert with another man in order to commit the offence and targeted two vulnerable women, who were going about their normal business, and robbed them by gunpoint.