A36-year-old Lesotho national was sentenced to 14 years in prison by the Kimberley Regional Court following his conviction for an armed business robbery.
A LESOTHO national, Sekhohola Seatile, 36, was sentenced to 14 years imprisonment by the Kimberley Regional Court after he was convicted of the armed robbery of a business.
The incident took place on August 12, 2022, when Seatile and his two co-conspirators entered the business premises of Alali Fazle.
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson Mojalefa Senokoatsane said the accused pointed a firearm at the business owner and his brother and ordered them to lie on the ground.
“During the robbery, the accused took money, packets of cigarettes and the cellphone belonging to the complainant. The other two perpetrators stood at the door, preventing customers from entering. A security officer working nearby the supermarket called the police after he was alerted by the street kids about the robbery. The accused and his accomplices fled the scene. The police chased after the suspects but were unable to catch them,” said Senokoatsane.
He stated that the accused was arrested a year later after his fingerprints were lifted from the crime scene.
“The accused co-conspirators were never arrested.”
Senokoatsane added that during the trial, the accused denied ever robbing the complainant.
“He maintained that he was forced by the two co-perpetrators to give instructions and to take the items belonging to the shop owner. During cross-examination, the complainant detailed the role played by the accused and how he committed the unlawful conduct in a voluntary manner.”
Senokoatsane said regional court prosecutor Dineo Mathule called the arresting officer, who testified that the accused was arrested a year later in Bloemfontein at his place of employment.
“He testified that the accused never mentioned anything about being forced to act under duress when the offence was committed.”
Senokoatsane added that the State argued that the accused was unable to explain why his fingerprints were found beyond the till points and in the container where the money was kept.
“The accused knew that his conduct was unlawful and he acted with common purpose with his co-accused to commit the offence. In aggravation of sentence, the State reminded the court that most foreign nationals operating businesses became the target of robberies.”
He stated that during sentencing, the court acknowledged the trauma experienced by the business owner and his brother.
“They suffered losses as none of the stolen items were recovered.”
Senokoatsane said Seatile was sentenced to 14 years direct imprisonment and was also declared unfit to possess a firearm.
“The National Prosecuting Authority welcomes the sentence and envisages that it will send a clear message to other criminals.“ he added.
