The Pretoria High Court on Thursday sentenced two men who shot and killed an ANC politician and businessman in 2013 to life in jail.
Bongani Enoch Masilela, 31, and Tau David Mokhali, 33, killed Gladwin ‘Parks’ Khaiyane nine years ago.
According to Lumka Mahanjana, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson, Khaiyane was shot and killed in in December 2013 when the car he and his girlfriend were driving to Johannesburg broke down on the R59 near Meyerton.
While Parks and a friend who had come to assist them were trying to fix the car, two men along with their co-accused, who were acquitted in the matter, appeared and told them to lie down and fired shots at them.
“The deceased was shot and died on the scene. The men proceeded to rob the girlfriend, the deceased and his friend of their belongings. Among other things that were taken was the car, which was later recovered at Sicelo, in Meyerton, close to Masilela’s house,” said Mahanjana.
After the robbery Masilela dragged Khaiyane’s girlfriend to the nearest bushes where he proceeded to rape her.
Mahanjana said Masilela was handed a further 43 years imprisonment sentence. “Masilela was further sentenced to 43 years imprisonment for rape, possession of unlawful firearm and possession of ammunition.”
Mahanjana says state advocate Jeffrey Nethononda asked for the maximum punishment which is life in jail.
“In aggregation of sentence, advocate Jeffrey Nethononda asked for life imprisonment. He told the court that the rate of murders in South Africa is escalating, therefore the court needed to send a strong message.
“In her judgement, Acting Judge Mokgale agreed with the state and added that the two committed a serious crime and crimes such as this one of murders during a robbery are high, the two accused showed no remorse and, therefore, the sentence was appropriate.”
Source: News24, Daily Sun, Sunday World, Jacaranda FM, image from Twitter: SAPS