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An unsuspecting taxi driver was refuelling his taxi when he was approached by a group of men looking for help for their “injured friend”. He agreed to help them.
Hours later he was dead. They had robbed him, restrained him, and set him alight.
On Friday, four men between the ages of 19 and 21 were sentenced to life imprisonment with an additional 15 years while their 19-year-old accomplice was given a lesser sentence of 30 years at the Palm Ridge Magistrates’ Court for the aggravated robbery and brutal murder of 38-year-old Stephen Gopane in 2016.
Passing down his sentence, Magistrate Desmond Nair said; “This was a horrific, senseless, brutal and unimaginable crime. It was calculated and a patient display of cruelty. You planned to hijack a taxi, picked up other accomplices en route then proceeded to stab, throttle and then set alight the deceased.”
The courtroom was engulfed in silence as all in attendance listened attentively to the magistrate retelling the series of events that led to the aggravated robbery and brutal murder in November 2016.
Female relatives of the five accused – Muzi Simelane (accused one), Tony Tshabangu (accused two), Lemogang Mafata (accused three), Thabo Nkoala (accused four) and Samson Mphuthi (accused five) – sat in the last row of the courtroom. They could barely raise their heads to face the front of the court where the magistrate was handing down his sentence, instead preferring to rather bow their heads and focus on the concrete floor.
Nair explained that during the trial, which lasted five days, details emerged of how the accused had been motivated by a desire to open a clothing label, but needed money.
It had been established that on the day in question the group of seven – the five males being sentenced had acted with a female accomplice as well as a 15-year-old minor – had approached an unsuspecting Gopane at a filling station in Sharpeville where he was refuelling.
Under the pretence that one of the accused was injured, the gang convinced Gopane to drive them to the “injured” accomplice’s home and would pay him R200 for his troubles.
Gopane is said to have agreed but en route to where they had claimed the “injured” accomplice stayed, one of the accused produced a toy firearm. The gang proceeded to overpower Gopane and took him to a dam in Sharpeville.
Witnessing an escalation in the plan, the female accomplice vacated the taxi and, along with the 15-year-old minor, later turned state witness.
It was then revealed to the court during the trial that the gang arrived at the dam. They assaulted Gopane, whom they had already robbed of a cellphone and an undisclosed amount of money from his day at work.
It was then found that the accused, who had used cables to restrain Gopane, poured petrol on the victim and set him alight. Tyres were added to accelerate the fire.
After this, the gang went to fetch shovels, dug a shallow grave and buried him.
The five accused travelled in the minibus taxi with the intention of selling it in Pretoria.
However, they were stopped and apprehended by security officers from Cartrack who were tracing the stolen vehicle. Members of the South African Police Services were called and arrested the five accused.
“This crime was motivated by greed,” said Nair.
After explaining that he had taken into account the defence’s pleas that the court should consider the ages of the accused, their troubled backgrounds and the fact that most of them were under the influence of alcohol, he said he still found no justifying circumstances to not hand down the maximum possible sentences.
“On the charge of murder, I sentence accused two, three, four and five to life imprisonment. On the charge of aggravated robbery I sentence the four of them to 15 years. Accused one, since he was not part and parcel of the plan to open the clothing label and wanted to plead guilty from the onset, will serve 20 years for the charge of murder and another 10 years for aggravated robbery,” said Nair.
The sentences were not to run concurrently, explained Nair.
Speaking after the verdict had been handed down, the deceased’s sister, Mamasakana Gopane, said: “I am happy with the judgment. This incident has greatly affected my mother’s health and left a four-year-old girl without a father.
“I could have not asked for a better birthday gift,” said Gopane, who indicated that today was her birthday.
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