Cape Town - The man who confessed to the murder of Ukrainian hiker, Ivan Ivanov, has been sentenced in the Western Cape High Court, three years after the brutal killing - and the trio accused of the murder of Cape lawyer, Pete Mihalik, have been convicted and will also face sentencing next week.
Sinya Mposelwa, who had been one of the first suspects arrested for the July 2019, Chapman’s Peak Drive, Hout Bay murder is facing sentencing and a potentially lengthy term behind bars.
According to the indictment, Ivanov had been booked in at a local lodge in Hout Bay from the period of July 26, 2019 to July 28, 2019 and during the morning of July 27, 2019, he had been walking along the trail when he met his tragic death.
The State concedes that the three accused namely, Mposelwa, Matthew Giyo and Franklin Isaacs had set out on the same trail as Ivanov with the intention of robbing passing hikers.
When they allegedly found Ivanov hiking on his own, they proceeded to rob him and stabbed him multiple times with the intention of leaving no witnesses behind.
Ivanov was robbed of 34 items which included R910 in cash, his Blackberry cellphone, backpack and several other items.
The trio were charged with murder, robbery and robbery with aggravating circumstances.
Giyo and Isaacs’ trial will be running separately after they pleaded not guilty to the charges, while Mposelwa pleaded and confessed to his role in the robbery and murder.
During his confession outline, Mposelwa said that he and his accomplices had gone to hide in the bush along the popular hiking trail hoping to rob a passer by and had come prepared with weapons.
Ivanov’s cause of death, according to the post mortem, was multiple penetrating incised wounds of the chest and back.
Eric Ntabazalila of the National Prosecuting Authority said, Mposelwa’s sentencing proceedings have begun.
Mitigation and aggravating of sentencing is expected to continue on Monday, August 7, 2023.
His co-accused trial will continue on August 14 2023.
Meanwhile, this week, the five-year trial of the three men accused of the murder of Cape attorney, Pete Mihalk, also came to finality when they were found guilty of their role in the killing.
Sizwe Biyela, Nkosinathi Khumalo and Vuyile Maliti were found guilty on all counts which includes Mihalik’s murder, the attempted murder of his two children and the unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition.
The State proved that the trio had murdered Mihalik on October 30, 2018.
Biyela had been dropped off along Thornhill and Cavalcade Roads in Green Point by his co-accused, a few minutes before Mihalik arrived at the same location.
Mihalik had been en route to drop his minor children, a girl and a boy at their school, Reddam House.
When Mihalik stopped for his daughter to alight the vehicle, Biyela approached on foot and shot him in the head.
Mihalik’s son was wounded during the incident and his daughter unharmed.
Sentencing proceedings will continue on August 10.