GAUTENG – The Pretoria North Magistrates’ Court has sentenced two accused, Azara Josea Nyungele (36), from Mozambique and Tatenda Tupudza (22), from Zimbabwe to 26 years’ imprisonment collectively, for housebreaking and being illegal in the country.  Nyungele was given 20 years imprisonment, while Tupudza was given 6 years, and they were declared unfit to possess a firearm.

This is after Nyungele, was found guilty of 11 counts of housebreaking and being illegal in the country, while Tupudza was found guilty on one count of housebreaking and being Illegal in the country. The offences happened between May 2019 and January 2022, when they broke into the complainant’s households while sleeping and took luxury items.  They were arrested after breaking into a house in Annlin, Sinoville on 27 January 2022.

In court, they pleaded guilty to the charges preferred against them, and in their guilty plea statement, they told the court that they stole these items to sell them. In aggravation, the prosecutor Rabia Ebrahim told the court that such crimes are prevalent in the court’s area of jurisdiction.  Each count of housebreaking involved luxury items, with a total loss of over R10 000-00.  Furthermore, there was no justification for the reasons provided for offences committed.

Source: South African Police Service