Byline: Nonjabuliso Nhlambo

27 August 2024

The Regional Court, which was sitting in Bethal, handed down 15-year imprisonment sentences against two business robbers on Friday, 23 August 2024.

The court imposed the sentences to Sipho Hendry Mkhonza (46) and Mondli Haroon Madonsela (37) for their involvement in business robbery that took place in January 2021 at a local coal mine.

The Court reached its decision to impose the sentences after details were heard on how the duo committed the offense.

On the day of the sentencing, the court heard that on the night of the robbery, 02 January 2021, the duo entered a local mine in Bethal and approached one of the security guards driving a metallic grey Ford Ranger without a registration number, fitted with an orange light and stickers on the sides, and pointed him with a firearm demanding a panic button and his cellphone, whereby they tied him and forced him into the back of the vehicle, taking him to the guard room, where he found three (3) of his colleagues also tied up and under watch by more other suspects.

The accused, on the day in question, stole three conveyer belts and other equipment valued at R780000.00 and loaded them on the truck with which they left the mine and the Ford Ranger.

Further investigation revealed that on the day of the commission of the crime, there were more than four suspects, as others were in the truck to assist in loading the conveyer belts but only managed to arrest two of them.

During the sentencing, Detective Sergeant December Jele informed the court that in his investigation process, he discovered that Mkhonza’s bank account was used to receive payment from the buyer of the conveyer belts based in Springs, Gauteng, on 23 September 2020, and 04 January 2021.

The court also heard that the stolen conveyer belts were sold to the same company that previously delivered them at the coal mine with the same serial number.

Mkhonza and Madonsela were each sentenced to 15 years imprisonment for two counts of robbery with aggravating circumstances and both accused were further found to be unfit to possess a firearm.