Nelspruit:  The fingerprints of Rodney Cromwell Maoto aged 32 became crucial evidence in a robbery incident and it assisted police to solve the case. As a result, Maoto will spend the next 15 years languishing in prison subsequent to the sentence that was handed down by the Carolina Regional Court on Wednesday, 02 November 2022 for business robbery.

The court heard that on 17 August 2017 at around 10:40, Maoto and his friend stormed into one of the Financial Service Providers (Cash Loans) in Carolina armed with a firearm. They held the cashiers at gunpoint then robbed them of some cash as well as a cell phone. The cashiers were further exposed to a traumatic experience as they were locked in the safe room before their assailants fled the scene. A business robbery case was registered by the police and fingerprints were lifted from the scene for further investigation. A manhunt for Maoto was launched then on 11 April 2019 the investigators realised that the man they were looking for, was in fact arrested for another case in Witbank. The accused was then charged for the said armed robbery incident. Forensic investigation linked him after fingerprints results came back positive.

After several court appearances, the accused was finally convicted hence the sentence. He was further declared unfit to possess a firearm.

The Provincial Commissioner of the SAPS in Mpumalanga, Lieutenant General Semakaleng Daphney Manamela has welcomed the sentence and appreciated the excellent work done by all stakeholders, including the investigation team, the prosecution team and the judiciary. The General also indicated that when coming to crime, the police will not hesitate to use all available resources to solve crime.

Source: South African Police Service