A 23-year-old man, Jason Witbooi who broke into a house and committed robbery was sentenced to 20 years of imprisonment.
The sentence was handed down by the Richmond Regional Court in Kimberley in the Northern Cape.
Northern Cape spokesperson for the South African Police Service (SAPS), Lieutenant Colonel Sergio Kock said the first robbery occurred in November 2020, when Witbooi broke into a Richmond home, stole a woman's phone and left.
“The second incident involved a house breaking and theft incident that occurred in February 2022 when police spotted Witbooi with the stolen goods in Richmond. He dropped the bag of stolen goods and fled, but was later arrested. The case was provisionally withdrawn and Witbooi was later released from prison,” Kock said.
On May 9, 2023, Witbooi also robbed a 16-year-old boy at knifepoint of his 20kg of chicken, which was the third incident. He was arrested the next day and remained in prison.
He was sentenced on Monday as follows:
Count one: Theft in 2020 - five years of imprisonment.
Count two: House breaking and theft in 2022 - five years of imprisonment.
Count three: Robbery - 15 years imprisonment.
According to Kock, count one and count two will run concurrently.
Meanwhile, In Limpopo, on Tuesday, May 7, a 48-year-old man who was carrying a bag full of money was shot at Savannah Mall. He also pulled out his weapon and shot at the robbers, but they fled.
Polokwane police have launched a manhunt for the two unknown suspects who carried out the armed robbery.
IOL News