On August 20, Mabutho Sithabiso Memela (29), was sentenced for kidnapping and for possession of a hijacked vehicle in the Johannesburg Magistrates’ Court.
For possession of a hijacked vehicle, Memela was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment, and for kidnapping, 2 years imprisonment.
A 37-year-old man was driving a company truck, a white Kia, along Maraisburg Road, on his way to the Soweto dumping site on December 14, 2017, when a black BMW and a white VW Kombi blocked his way.
Six suspects approached him, one armed with a firearm.
One of the suspects used a wheel spanner to break open the side window of the truck and pulled the driver out.
He was blindfolded and bound with shoelaces and taken to Bekkersdal, in a VW Kombi The suspects fled with the company truck, his cell phone and R1 000.
On the same day, at about 6pm, police received information about a truck that had been hijacked at the Xavier off-ramp.
Police spotted the vehicle and arrested the driver.
“Good conviction is the result of diligent work done by an investigating officer. This should send a strong message to the community that crime does not pay, and that weed of crime bears bitter fruits. We will continue to do our best to ensure that those who commit acts of crime are put away for a long time,” said Captain Xoli Mbele of the Johannesburg Central SAPS.
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