CAPE TOWN – Thorough investigations by the Hawks’ National Bureau for Illegal Firearm Control and Priority Violent Crime (NBIFCPVC) has resulted in the conviction of Mbulelo Zolile Mbatyazwa(50), by the Khayelitsha Regional Court on Monday.
Mbatyazwa was effectively jailed to 22 years for armed robbery, attempted murder and possession of an illegal firearm, following a cash in-transit-heist in 2013.
During the morning of September 5,2013, a group of unknown armed suspects, amongst them, Mbatyazwa and Thabiso Shandu 33, (deceased), confronted G4S security guards who were loading an ATM with cash at Nyanga Junction Mall, Manenberg near Cape Town. They threatened them with firearms before they fled the scene with cash bags.
Vigilant local police caught up with the group before they could get away. A shootout ensued and some suspects fled on foot. Mbatyazwa and Shandu were apprehended near Gugulethu Mall and detained. They were subsequently granted bail and made a series of court appearances. Shandu was killed in Khayelitsha in October 2016 reportedly during a fight for a girlfriend.
Mbatyazwa was convicted and sentenced to 15 years for armed robbery, 7 years for possession of unlicensed firearms and 5 years for possession of ammunition. The sentence will run concurrently; hence the accused will serve 22 years imprisonment.
Western Cape Provincial Head of the Directorate Priority Crime Investigation, Major General Nombuso Khoza, has lauded the investigation team and the justice system for the sentence.
“Cash in-transit-heists are vicious in nature, during such occurrences innocent lives are put at risk by cold-hearted criminals who are only interested in ill-gotten riches. We remain poised in ensuring that innocent people lives are safe guarded, by continuing to weed out criminals from our communities and ensuring that they stay in prison where they belong”, she said.
