Five men who wounded bystanders in a pension pay-point robbery in KZN were sentenced to more than 100 years in jail.
|||Pietermaritzburg - Five men who wounded bystanders in a pension pay-point robbery in Kranskop, KwaZulu-Natal, were sentenced to more than 100 years in jail by the Pietermaritzburg High Court on Friday.
Judge Tule-tu Tonjeni said it was an “unbelievably reckless robbery using heavy arms”. The robbery took place in July 2010 and a shoot-out ensued.
She said a five-year-old boy still had a bullet lodged in his neck, and his prognosis was not good. Four people also still had bullets in their bodies and their lives had been compromised.
Tonjeni imposed sentence of more than 100 years, but most terms would run concurrently, making it a 30-year plus jail sentence effectively. They would have to serve 20 years each before they could be considered for parole.
She said Sizwe Tshangase, 26, Muzi Ndawonde, 26, Mlungisi Magwaza, 22, all of Nkandla; and Bongikwema Langa, 30, and Phulani Mpembe, 25, both of Ladysmith, had shown no regard or respect for human life.
Four of them were given a 15 year jail sentence for aggravated robbery, while Mpembe got 20 years, as it was his second conviction.
All five got 10 years each for the attempted murder of the bystanders and another 10 years for the attempted murder of police officers. All the sentences would run concurrently.
Tshangase also received a 10 year sentence for possession of an Uzi submachine gun. The others got six years each for possessing unlicensed pistols. - Sapa