By BAKANG MOKOTO
20 October 2025- The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) said it welcomes the sentences imposed by the Pretoria North Magistrate’s Court on Victor Junior Sebata (35) and Kagiso Patrick Mthimunye (31), both from Mamelodi. Each was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment for robbery with aggravating circumstances and 5 years imprisonment for kidnapping.
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson in Gauteng, Lumka Mahanjana said the court ordered that the sentences run concurrently, resulting in an effective 15 years imprisonment. Mahanjana said both men were also declared unfit to possess firearms.
“On the evening of 7 October 2022, a victim (34), an e-hailing driver, received a ride request from Propaganda Club in Pretoria Central to Silverton. Upon arrival at the drop-off point, the victim was approached by Sebata and Mthimunye, who pointed a firearm at him, robbed him of his belongings, and forced him into the boot of his vehicle.
“The accused then drove the victim’s vehicle to Mamelodi, where they removed him from the boot, tied him up, and transferred him into another vehicle. They drove him to Bapsfontein, where they abandoned him in a bush. The victim managed to untie his feet, walked towards the road, and came across a police vehicle that took him to a police station in the nearby area,” she said.
Mahanjana further said in the early hours of 8 October 2022, both Sebata and Mthimunye were arrested in Akasia by a security company that had received an alert from a vehicle tracking company about the stolen car. She added that they have remained in custody since their arrest, after the NPA successfully opposed their release on bail.
“In court, both accused pleaded not guilty, claiming they were asked by an unnamed individual to deliver the vehicle to someone else. However, the state prosecutor Hanlie Du Preez led compelling evidence that proved their guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
“During sentencing, the defence argued for leniency, citing that the accused were first-time offenders and had been in custody for three years. Du Preez countered that the men showed no remorse, committed serious and violent offences, and caused significant trauma to the victim, who was unable to return to work as an e-hailing driver for an extended period,” said Mahanjana.
She said Du Preez urged the court not to deviate from the prescribed minimum sentence, as there were no substantial and compelling circumstances to justify such deviation. Mahanjana said in delivering judgment, Magistrate Piet Nel agreed with the state, noting that both men showed no remorse and were convicted of serious offences.
Nel said: “While the victim did not sustain serious physical injuries and managed to recover his vehicle, it does not take away from the fact that robbery is a violent and serious crime. Society expects the court to send a message that such offences will not be tolerated and that offenders must be removed from communities to ensure public safety.
“I therefore found no substantial and compelling circumstances to deviate from imposing the prescribed minimum sentences.”
Meanwhile, acting Director of Public Prosecutions in Gauteng, Advocate Marika Jansen van Vuuren, commended the prosecutor, stating that this case highlights the dedicated efforts of law enforcement and prosecutorial teams in holding violent offenders accountable.
The Guardian 