By KEDIBONE MOLAETSI
Two men were sentenced to five years by the Bloemhof Regional Court for common robbery, theft and impersonating a police officer. In October 2022, a man from Gauteng Province was robbed of R37 000 and his firearm.
This comes after the victim arranged with a man to assist him get goats with reasonable prices from farmers around Wolmaranstad and surrounding farms. The victim met with the man on 6 October 2022, and the latter took him to a house in Bloemhof.
The North West police spokesperson, Brigadier Sabata Mokgwabone said both the victim and the man were in the yard when a group of men emerged.
“They then forced the victim into the house. The men introduced themselves as police officers from the Hawks and purportedly placed him under arrest for dealing in diamonds.
“He was further robbed of his firearm and R37 000 in cash. Moreover, he was given a bank account to deposit money into. The victim was later given his firearm, but without ammunition,” he said.
Mokgwabone further said a case was opened and allocated to the Provincial Anti-Gang Unit for investigation. He added that through good investigative work, Lebamang Lepholletsa (45) and Molefi Mokone (47), were identified and later arrested after being identified by the victim.
“The accused finally pleaded guilty and was sentenced. While the sentence was wholly suspended for five years, the court ordered the accused to pay R20 000 each to the victim before 31 July 2024 or serve two years direct imprisonment,” said Mokgwabone.
Meanwhile, the North West Police Commissioner, Lieutenant General Sello Kwena, hailed the Provincial Anti-Gang Unit members, Warrant Officer Thabo Rakate and Sergeant Kabelo Kwele for effecting the arrests and securing the sentence respectively, which he said will contribute towards the fight against the so-called “knockers” who rob unsuspecting citizens under the pretext of being police officers.
“We would also like to thank other role players, including the prosecutor, Advocate Thamsanqa Tamela for collaborating with the police to secure the conviction,” said Kgwele.
The Guardian 