A young man has been jailed for 60 years for murder and robbery in Esikhawini, KwaZulu-Natal.
|||Durban - A young man has been jailed for 60 years for murder and robbery in Esikhawini, KwaZulu-Natal police said on Friday.
Sphamandla Maphopho Mhlongo was sentenced by the Mtubatuba High Court earlier this week, said spokesman Captain Thulani Zwane.
The 22-year-old was arrested in May last year. Zwane said Mhlongo had been terrorising Esikhawini residents since 2011.
On April 3, 2011 he robbed a man of his 9mm pistol. The following year, on April 22, 2012, Mhlongo used the gun to rob a house in H1 section, Esikhawini, and to kill Skhumbuzo Buthelezi.
Mhlongo was arrested in Empangeni in May 2012. The pistol was found in his possession.
He was also linked to another murder and house robbery in Esikhawini in 2011.
“He was sentenced to two life terms for two counts of murder, 15 years each for three counts of robbery and 15 years for possession of an unlicensed firearm. A total of 60 years was handed down to him, but half of the sentence will run concurrently,” Zwane said.
KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lt-Gen Mmamonnye Ngobeni thanked the Richards Bay Organised Crime Unit for arresting Mhlongo.
“Such a notorious criminal deserves to serve long term in prison for his wrongful acts.” - Sapa