Two parolees convicted over a brazen Dutywa bank robbery and the death of an accomplice during a subsequent shootout with police have been sentenced to an effective 25 years in prison.
Dumisani Duma and Makabongwe Mthongana were each sentenced in the Mthatha High Court on Friday to 15 years for the murder of their accomplice, Lungile Jamiso, who was shot dead near the Beyele turn-off in Ngcobo.
They were also sentenced to 15 years each on two counts of robbery with aggravating circumstances, 10 years each on two counts of attempted murder, 10 years for possession of a firearm with intent to commit a crime, five years for conspiracy to commit robbery and five years for unlawful possession of ammunition.
The sentences will run concurrently, resulting in an effective 25-year prison term.
Both men were on parole when the crimes were committed.
The case arose from a dramatic robbery at U-Bank in Dutywa in November 2022, shortly after SBV security services had delivered about R600,000 in cash.
The robbers held a woman bank employee at gunpoint before hijacking a red VW Polo outside the bank and fleeing. The employee was released unharmed shortly before they sped off.
Witnesses said the robbery unfolded rapidly, sending bystanders running for cover.
Video footage circulated widely on social media showing the chaos outside the bank, while another video appeared to show a high-speed pursuit of the hijacked vehicle.
An independent eyewitness who knew the owner of the hijacked Polo followed the fleeing vehicle and alerted police while giving chase.
The getaway vehicle eventually became stuck in mud near Ngcobo, where police intercepted the group.
A shootout followed and Jamiso was fatally shot. Duma and Mthongana were arrested at the scene.
Handing down sentence, acting judge Somacala said the offences of which the men had been convicted were serious and prevalent.
“The whole of the country is engulfed by violent crimes which have reached such high degrees of proportionality to an extent that the nation appears to have lost hope in the justice system. It has always been, and will remain, the duty of the courts to restore such hope by dispensing justice appropriately.”
Somacala said the men had conspired to rob U-Bank and armed themselves with illegal firearms and ammunition to overcome any resistance.
“The firearms were used during the robbery at U-Bank where bank employees were held at gunpoint and money from the bank was taken from them ... they used one of the bank employees as a human shield,” he said.
Somacala said Jamiso had participated in the robberies and was equally liable for the actions of the group.
“He met his demise in the course of his unlawful activities.”
The judge said both men had maintained their innocence, but cautioned against using that against them when imposing sentence.
“It is within their right to take whatever posture that they feel suits them. Their conduct should not be isolated from the facts of the case and be used against them on sentence.”
However, Somacala said their parole status when they committed the crimes was an aggravating factor.
“I find it quite disturbing and aggravating against the accused that at the time of the commission of the offence they were both out on parole and still serving their sentences as parolees.”
Duma, he said, had previously been injured during another robbery for which he was serving the sentence that led to his parole, but had not been deterred from committing another armed robbery.
Somacala said committing serious violent crimes while still serving sentences on parole raised questions about their prospects of rehabilitation.
Daily Dispatch