Sunday Sibiya (26), Sibusiso Ncamu (27), Jaja Luphoto (20) and Phumlani Masoka (20) will serve many years behind bars following the gruesome murder of a 25-year-old foreign national and gang raping three females, aged between 27 and 35.
It was heard in Bethal Regional Court yesterday, Thursday 04 September 2024 during sentencing that one of the rape victims was six months pregnant during the time she was raped.
According to information, two years ago, on Friday 17 June 2022, the quartet stormed into a house where the rape victims were staying in Bethal. They assaulted the victim who was visiting his partner at the time.
The victim is said to have tried to escape from the house but was stabbed multiple times then succumbed to his injuries. His lifeless body was found lying in the pool of blood, next to a petrol station.
The four then went back to the house where they took turns in raping the female victims.
The matter was then reported to the Police and a manhunt was launched in conjunction with a priva
te security company.
Through intelligence driven information, four males were found to have been involved in the inhumane act. They were then arrested in Emzinoni near Bethal, the next day, Saturday 17 June 2022.
The investigation later unearthed that the accused were involved in the crimes committed hence when handing down the sentence, both Sibiya and Ncamu were sentenced to three life imprisonment each for three counts of rape, 15 years imprisonment each for murder, 15 years imprisonment each for robbery aggravated and four years imprisonment each for attemped murder.
The court also found Lephoto and Masoka guilty and were sentenced to combined 20 years each for all the crimes committed. The court believed that the two might have been influenced due to their ages during the time of the incident.
The Acting Provincial Commissioner of the SAPS in Mpumalanga, Major General (Dr) Zeph Mkhwanazi has commended the dedicated members who managed to bring the perpetrators to book within a short space of time. Th
e General also applauded the investigation team for presenting crucial evidence that led to the successful conviction.
Source: South African Police Service