21 May 2021
27-year-old Thulani Democracy Mahlangu was slapped with 10 years’ imprisonment sentence by the Bethal Magistrates Court on two counts of house-breaking and theft which happened on separate occasions.
The first case was reported and registered at Bethal SAPS on 12 December 2018 for investigation, the investigating officer Detective Sergeant Andreas Strydom worked tirelessly investigating the matter which yielded great results.
On the date of the commission of crime, the accused was said to have entered the complainant’ premise and stole a Playstation, two bags containing clothes and groceries.
After the matter was reported to the police, the Local Criminal Record Centre (LCRC) in Secunda was summoned to the scene for examination and lifting of the finger/palm prints.
During the examination and lifting of the finger/palm prints, Warrant Officer Portia Maluleke attached to LCRS Secunda as fingerprint expert, lifted identifiable print from an object at the scene which was later compared and matched with the accused’s (Thulani Democracy Mahlangu) left palm.
After receiving the results from the LCRC, Sergeant Andreas Strydom continued with his investigation until he arrested Mr Mahlangu for house-breaking and theft.
Mr Mahlangu appeared at Bethal Magistrates Court facing charges of house-breaking and theft on several occasions.
On separate incident which occurred on 20 December 2018, Mahlangu was also linked with DNA (Deoxyribonucleic acid), which were extracted from an object at the scene of house-breaking and theft after a case was reported and registered at Bethal Police Station for investigation.
Constable Dalton Sibanyoni from the Local Criminal Record Centre in Secunda attended the scene of crime where he obtained and collected an object for DNA analysis.
The DNA analysis report was received from Biology section of the forensic Science Laboratory and matched those of Thulani Mahlangu.
The accused was subsequently charged on another house-breaking and theft and appeared several times before the Magistrate court in Bethal facing two counts of house-breaking and theft cases which occurred in the vicinity of Bethal.
During his trial at Bethal regional Court, the accused was found guilty on both charges of house-breaking and theft, which on the first matter he was sentenced to six (6) years and the other to four (4) years imprisonment which in terms of section 280(2) Act 51/1977, the sentence will not run concurrently with any sentence he is serving.
The acting station commander Anne Steyn welcomed the sentence and thanked the investigating officer in the case for securing the conviction.
