Notorious gang members famous for terrorising Mopani District community members in Limpopo have been sentenced to over 700 years in prison. They were sentenced by the South Gauteng High Court on Thursday and handed a combined 705-year imprisonment.  Calvin Congo Mabunda (42), Sibusizo Shamase Mkhwanazi (43), Bhova Sticks Nkuna (54) were convicted of 19 charges that included murder, robbery, assault, attempted murder, possession of firearms, ammunition, and kidnapping incidents that occurred in the Mopani District between the 2017 and 2018 period.  

MODUS OPERANDI 

The accused targeted pensioners who withdrew large amounts of cash in Giyani, Bolobedu, Malamulele and Mokwakwaila policing precincts respectively. They placed spotters in various banks who would observe large amount withdrawals and once the victims had left the premises, other members of the criminal group would be alerted, and the unsuspecting victims would then be followed. In some instances, they followed their victims home from the bank and broke down their front doors and robbed them in their houses. The court heard that in one incident, one of the accused, Mabunda, held a knife to a woman's throat after she had bought alcohol and food for her lobola celebration.  

 FINALLY CAUGHT 

The gang's violent crime spree across Giyani resulted in the police forming a special task team to apprehend them. Their luck finally ran out on 06 January 2018 after robbing a chain store employee at gunpoint. Limpopo SAPS spokesperson Malesela Ledwaba said the employee had collected R20 000 worth of change from the bank to be transported to the supermarket that is situated in the area. "He was followed by the accused and during the robbery, a shot was fired and drew the attention of police who were patrolling nearby. They gave chase and cornered Mkhwanazi and Mabunda at Homu 14 village. The following day, a blue car that was also involved in the robbery was spotted and police were able to arrest Bhova, after a chase and shoot-out that left a patrol van with a bullet hole in it," said Ledwaba. 

HEAVY SENTENCES 

Ledwaba said after the arrests of the trio, the spate of violent robberies that had plagued the Giyani policing area suddenly stopped and further investigations positively linked the suspects with the other robberies in Gauteng and North West. The three accused were handed the following sentences, Mabunda received an effective 250-year imprisonment, Mkhwanazi got 278 years behind bars and 177 years for Nkuna.