By Thys Khiba – Murderers Quinton Brits, 38, and Mabote Ernest Lishea, 31, have been sentenced to life for killing an elderly couple in their shop in Christiana, in North West.
Brits, and Lesotho national, Lishea were sentenced to two life imprisonment by the High Court of South Africa; North West Division, sitting at the Klerksdorp Regional Court.
Judge Samkelo Gura also sentenced the two to 5 years for housebreaking with intent to rob and a further 15 years for robbery with aggravating circumstances.
Brits was arrested on 01 September 2020 at Jan Kempdorp.
Police investigations confirmed some items were found on him, and later identified by the daughter of the deceased as stolen.
Brits subsequently took the police to a house in Christiana, where the loot was shared.
Meanwhile, Lishea was arrested on 03 September 2020 at Durban Deep near Roodepoort, in the Gauteng province.
During the arrest, police found items that were stolen in the shop during the robbery.
According to the spokesperson for the North West NPA, Henry Mamothame, their conviction emanates from an incident that occurred on the morning of 30 August 2020, at a Madeira Shop in Christiana, whereat two customers found an elderly couple murdered in their shop.
“The two immediately notified the police of the incident, and they found the place to be in disarray, with the husband tied with cable ties, dried blood on both the couple’s noses, and money tills opened.
“The daughter of the deceased later came and confirmed the cellphones and money to be missing. Post-mortem reports revealed that the elderly woman died as a result of strangulation, while the elderly man died as a result of coronary artery disease,” said Mamothame.
In Court, the two pleaded not guilty to the offence.
The state prosecutor, Adv Kgalalelo Molefe, urged the court not to deviate from the minimum prescribed sentence of life imprisonment on each of the counts of murder.
Molefe urged the court to consider the seriousness of the offence as the victims were elderly people and further pleaded that it impose a sentence that would serve as a deterrent.
Judge Gura, agreed with the state and imposed a double life imprisonment and 20 years for each accused.
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