A man who robbed a cash guard as he was collecting money from a Centurion supermarket has been slapped with a 59-year jail term.
The Gauteng North High Court on Friday sentenced Jabulani Reginald Zitha, 28, to a cumulative sentence on eight counts, including murder, attempted murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances and possession of illegal firearms and ammunition.
Gauteng Hawks spokesperson Capt Lloyd Ramovha said Zitha was arrested in July 2021 at Mall @55 after he approached the guard with his deceased accomplice Lucas Loate.
“The armed pair confronted the guard who had just collected money from the Superspar. The guard was shot and wounded in the leg before the pair ran away with the cash bag.
“Security guards from SBV reacted to the shooting and chased the pair to the back of the mall where a shoot-out resulted in Loate being shot dead. Zitha was wounded and taken to hospital.”
He was then arrested and the case handed over to the Hawks’ serious crime investigation team.
Almost two years after his arrest, Zitha's trial finally got under way on March 6 2023.
Gauteng Hawks head Maj-Gen Ebrahim Kadwa praised investigators “for their tirelessness in ensuring that justice is served in the end”.
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Man slapped with 59-year jail term for 'cross-pavement' CIT robbery
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A man who robbed a cash guard as he was collecting money from a Centurion supermarket has been slapped with a 59-year jail term.
The Gauteng North High Court on Friday sentenced Jabulani Reginald Zitha, 28, to a cumulative sentence on eight counts, including murder, attempted murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances and possession of illegal firearms and ammunition.
Gauteng Hawks spokesperson Capt Lloyd Ramovha said Zitha was arrested in July 2021 at Mall @55 after he approached the guard with his deceased accomplice Lucas Loate.
“The armed pair confronted the guard who had just collected money from the Superspar. The guard was shot and wounded in the leg before the pair ran away with the cash bag.
“Security guards from SBV reacted to the shooting and chased the pair to the back of the mall where a shoot-out resulted in Loate being shot dead. Zitha was wounded and taken to hospital.”
He was then arrested and the case handed over to the Hawks’ serious crime investigation team.
Almost two years after his arrest, Zitha's trial finally got under way on March 6 2023.
Gauteng Hawks head Maj-Gen Ebrahim Kadwa praised investigators “for their tirelessness in ensuring that justice is served in the end”.
TimesLIVE
Support independent journalism by subscribing to the Sunday Times. Just R20 for the first month.
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