July unrest looter gang sentenced
Five July unrest looters have been sentenced to a collective 40 years in prison.
The group, aged between 22 and 59, stole meat from a cold storage facility in Chesterville, west of Durban in 2021.
Not only was the business, Ayoba Cold Storage, looted, but the facility was also partly torched by members of the public.
Mduduzi Buthelezi, Sphelele Mazibuko, Mandla Ngcobo, John Thobela and Sabelo Shandu were caught during a police stop and search operation.
READ: Govender brothers' 7-year sentence 'not what we expected'
Officers found 60 boxes of meat in the back of their bakkie.
They were sentenced in the Durban District Court on Thursday.
KZN NPA spokesperson, Natasha Kara, says the State led the testimonies of the investigating officer and the owner of the business, who told the court he lost millions of rands.
"The Asset Forfeiture Unit of the NPA, represented by State Advocate Sakhile Ngcobo and Senior Special Investigator Akbar Ally, obtained a high court order granting the attachment of Thobela’s bakkie which was used in the commission of the offence.
"This case is an example of how the units within the NPA are working together with the SAPS to ensure that criminals are brought to justice."
