The Mpumalanga High Court on Monday sentenced Sifiso Mbowane to life imprisonment plus 55 years for a series of violent crimes committed in Shatale and Belfast in 2023.
Mbowane, 23, who pleaded guilty, was convicted on multiple counts including murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances, malicious injury to property and housebreaking with intent to rob.
The court heard that before committing these offences, Mbowane had bought a firearm.
On the evening of July 29 2023, Mbowane and an accomplice confronted a victim seated in a car near Hlamalani Trust in Bushbuckridge.
“Armed with a firearm, they robbed the victim of his vehicle and other belongings. The victim and his friends fled the scene, returning later to find the vehicle heavily damaged,” National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Monica Nyuswa said.
In the second incident on September 5 2023, Mbowane robbed a Puma filling station in Belfast of R1,000, and fatally shot a petrol attendant, Nicolus Mashego.
“He then proceeded to Swift filling station, where he forcibly broke in, stole cash and fled.”
After these crimes, Mbowane returned the firearm to its seller and was arrested three days later.
During the sentencing proceedings, Mbowane’s lawyer argued in mitigation that he had committed these offences due to educational struggles and dropping out of school.
“However, adv Mlungisi Mangwanyana, deputy director of public prosecutions, countered that the guilty plea did not reflect genuine remorse, emphasising Mbowane’s calculated crime spree.
“A victim impact statement prepared by the deceased’s brother and facilitated by court preparation officer Nomfundo Mokoena conveyed the profound personal loss experienced due to Mashego’s death.”
In her sentencing remarks, judge Sheila Msibi underscored the severe nature of Mbowane’s crimes and their impact on local businesses and the economy.
Mbowane’s application for leave to appeal against the sentence was dismissed after the state’s objection.
TimesLIVE
Life imprisonment plus 55 years for man convicted of violent crime spree
Image: NPA
The Mpumalanga High Court on Monday sentenced Sifiso Mbowane to life imprisonment plus 55 years for a series of violent crimes committed in Shatale and Belfast in 2023.
Mbowane, 23, who pleaded guilty, was convicted on multiple counts including murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances, malicious injury to property and housebreaking with intent to rob.
The court heard that before committing these offences, Mbowane had bought a firearm.
On the evening of July 29 2023, Mbowane and an accomplice confronted a victim seated in a car near Hlamalani Trust in Bushbuckridge.
“Armed with a firearm, they robbed the victim of his vehicle and other belongings. The victim and his friends fled the scene, returning later to find the vehicle heavily damaged,” National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Monica Nyuswa said.
In the second incident on September 5 2023, Mbowane robbed a Puma filling station in Belfast of R1,000, and fatally shot a petrol attendant, Nicolus Mashego.
“He then proceeded to Swift filling station, where he forcibly broke in, stole cash and fled.”
After these crimes, Mbowane returned the firearm to its seller and was arrested three days later.
During the sentencing proceedings, Mbowane’s lawyer argued in mitigation that he had committed these offences due to educational struggles and dropping out of school.
“However, adv Mlungisi Mangwanyana, deputy director of public prosecutions, countered that the guilty plea did not reflect genuine remorse, emphasising Mbowane’s calculated crime spree.
“A victim impact statement prepared by the deceased’s brother and facilitated by court preparation officer Nomfundo Mokoena conveyed the profound personal loss experienced due to Mashego’s death.”
In her sentencing remarks, judge Sheila Msibi underscored the severe nature of Mbowane’s crimes and their impact on local businesses and the economy.
Mbowane’s application for leave to appeal against the sentence was dismissed after the state’s objection.
TimesLIVE
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