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The Provincial Commissioner of the Western Cape, Lt Genl Thembisile Patekile lauded the investigating team attached to the Provincial Serious and Violent Crime Unit for sterling investigation which resulted in the conviction and ultimate sentencing of four Lesotho foreign nationals on Thursday 26 October 2023.
The owner of the farm, Kapteinsdrif, located close to Bonnievale, arrived home at around 18:00 on 13 May 2019, when he was surprised by the presence of four known males who did not report for work on that fateful day, instead hatched and planned their attack upon the farmer and his wife. The accused killed the farmer and assaulted his wife, robbed them of their personal belongings, cash, firearms and ammunition. The wife of the farmer collapsed as a result of the injuries sustained. When she gained consciousness she alerted the neighbours of the attack.
Detectives assigned to the case made a break through when they arrested a suspect on 14 May 2019 who led them to recover the rifle used to kill the farmer. During interrogation they became aware that three of the suspects fled to Lesotho. The investigating team was hard at work obtaining a J50 warrant of arrest for the remaining three suspects. Following a marathon extradition enquiry, the three suspects were extradited at the Maseru border on 25 July 2022 and transported to the Western Cape.
The arrest of the suspects paved the way for an intense and focussed court procedure to follow. The investigating officer and her team faced the full might of the defence lawyers, who went the extra mile in a bid to derail them in their testimony, endeavouring to paint a picture in court that they were not credible witnesses. The investigating team members had no need to divert in their testimony in any way, as they simply stated the facts to the honourable court.
On Thursday 26 October 2023, Judge Dereck Wille sentenced Ntabanyane Tlali, Thabiso Ramollo, Moeketsi Hlauli and Keketso Matshabisa to life in prison in the Swellendam Circuit High Court on charges of murder, attempted murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances, possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition.
Content retrieved from SAPS.
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