Molaba was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for robbery with aggravating circumstances, Phendela was sentenced to 4 years imprisonment for defeating the administration of justice and Hlongwane was sentenced to 12 years imprisonment for murder of police official. All three accused have been declared unfit to possess a firearm.
The trio was arrested in July 2023 following an investigation into the murder of Warrant Officer Gaonathebe Diphephenyane, who was attached to Kimberley Crime Scene Investigation (CSI). In July 2023, Diphephenyane was travelling from Kimberley to Rustenburg on an official trip when he was hijacked in Klerkskraal in the North West. He was robbed of the state vehicle, a cellphone and money. The member’s lifeless body, with signs of strangulation, was found dumped next to the road in Klerkskraal.
A multidisciplinary team comprising the Hawks’ Serious Organised Crime Investigation, Hawks’ Tactical Operations Management Section, Crime Intelligence, North West and Northern Cape Provincial detectives, Criminal Record and Crime Scene Management was assembled to work on the case.
Information led the team to Boikhutsong in Ventersdorp, Vosloorus and Brakpan in Gauteng, where the suspects were apprehended. They appeared in court and were remanded in custody until their sentencing.
The acting North West Provincial Head, Brigadier Silas Munzhedzi, and the Director of Public Prosecutions in North, Dr Rachel Makhari, have lauded the investigation and prosecution team for working tirelessly to ensure that the accused face the full might of the law.