ZiMoja updates on the latest crime news in parts of the country.
NORTH WEST: A 32-year-old man has been sentenced to 15 years imprisonment for the brutal murder of a five-month-old baby after the child's mother revealed he was not the biological father. Collen Rorisang Mogotsi was sentenced by the Lehurutshe Regional Court, where the judge not only condemned his actions but also declared him unfit to ever possess a firearm under the stringent Firearm Control Act of 2000. North West SAPS spokesperson Colonel Adéle Myburgh said the police responded to a report from Willowpark in Lehurutshe in 2017, where the infant's lifeless body was discovered. "It was reported that the baby's mother and her boyfriend, Mogotsi, had a disagreement earlier that night in Dinokana village, outside Zeerust," Myburgh said. She said when Mogotsi confronted the mother about the paternity of the baby, she told him that the infant was not his. Mogotsi, who was reportedly drunk at the time, responded violently by assaulting the infant. He then told the mother that the baby was dead and should be taken back to her parental home in Willowpark. The baby had sustained head and other injuries. He was declared dead on the scene. Police arrested the father shortly after the incident was reported.
NORTHERN-CAPE: The Upington Regional Court has convicted and sentenced police officers Michael Sibiya (48) and Tebogo Noe (46) for theft that took place in March 2014. Both accused, who are members of the South African Police Service's VIP protection unit, were on duty in the Upington area. On the said date, they visited a local mall, where they stumbled upon cash to the value of R60,000.
Instead of making attempts to locate the owner, the duo decided to buy flashlights and hid the money inside the flashlight boxes. They attempted to send their new-found loot to their addresses back in Kimberley through the local courier. According to Hawks spokesperson Colonel Tebogo Thebe, a local courier employee in Upington became suspicious and opened the package. "Cash was found, and they immediately notified Upington Serious Organised Crime Investigation of the Hawks. The members were immediately placed under arrest. The court found the two officers guilty in January 2016 after a lengthy trial. They were fined R30,000 each, to be paid in monthly instalments or, alternatively, three years of imprisonment suspended for five years. They were further declared unfit to possess a firearm.
LIMPOPO: Two suspects aged 36 and 37 appeared before Sekhukhune Magistrate's Court yesterday facing charges of extortion and intimidation. The suspects Tshepo Mamosebo and Khomotso Phasha allegedly threatened a construction company that is busy building a shopping complex at Atok in the Apel policing area. They allegedly demanded to be part of the service providers during the construction process, and they ordered the construction company to suspend construction if they were not hired. The matter was reported to the police and a case docket was registered. Preliminary investigations were conducted, and the two suspects were arrested on Tuesday. They were remanded in custody pending further police investigations and they will be back in court tomorrow for a possible bail application.
