Five convicted of stoning‚ burning policeman to death
Five of the six men who stoned a police officer before setting him alight were convicted in the North West High Court‚ sitting in the Ga-Rankua Magistrate's Court on Wednesday.Walter Lesego Mphahle‚ 26‚ Baneli Somakhaula Mabena‚ 30‚ Samuel Ndoko Khoza‚ 28‚ Johnny Ernest Sithole ‚ 30‚ and Obert Matlhomola Mathebula‚ 39‚ were found guilty of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm‚ malicious damage to property‚ robbery with aggravated circumstances and murder.Bongani France Dube was acquitted of all charges. The group killed Koos Lehlabi in front of the Maplankeng/Fikizane tavern in Ga-Rankua on New Year's day last year.Lehlabi‚ who was a police sergeant attached to Mabopane railway police‚ and relatives were travelling from Lebanon in Mabopane to Hamanskraal in two cars. They encountered a group of people partly blocking the road‚ Lehlabi pleaded with them to make way for the two cars but was ignored.An altercation ensued during which Lehlabi allegedly fired a warning shot and then at three people. He was stoned by the group before being set alight...
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