The Pinetown Regional Court has sentenced four men to an effective 35 years’ imprisonment each for carrying out a series of armed robberies and kidnappings targeting teachers at schools across KwaZulu-Natal.
On Tuesday, Magistrate Muntukayise Khumalo found that Mthobisi Wonder Shozi, Lebo Nhlakanipho Magwaza, Brian Tyron Charles, and Sbonelo Sxolile Mkhulisi had failed to present substantial and compelling circumstances that would justify deviating from the prescribed minimum sentences.
The four men were convicted of a spate of robberies committed in February 2023. They first struck Nazareth Primary School on February 2, then targeted teachers at Edamini Primary School near Shongweni Dam on February 8. Their final attack took place on February 20 at Tholulwazi Secondary School in Molweni.
Handing down the sentence, Khumalo said the courts should not depart from minimum sentences for “flimsy reasons”, citing case law.
He said the accused had shown no remorse throughout the trial and had forced witnesses to relive the traumatic ordeals they experienced during the attacks.
Although the men were between the ages of 23 and 25, Khumalo found that they were not suitable candidates for rehabilitation.
“One needs to remember that what they did was carefully planned in broad daylight. Teachers were attacked and assaulted, and their personal possessions were stolen,” he said.
The magistrate said that while the Constitution guarantees the rights of every person, teachers have been left living in fear of robbery and kidnapping at the very schools where they serve their communities.
He strongly condemned the violence used during the robberies, questioning why the men continued to assault their victims even after stealing their belongings.
Khumalo noted that the principal of Tholulwazi Secondary School, Nhlanhla Mchunu, suffered severe injuries after being struck three times on the head with a firearm, causing him to bleed profusely.
During sentencing proceedings, the attorney representing all four accused, who identified himself only as Mr Mkhize, urged the court to impose a lesser sentence, arguing that his clients were capable of rehabilitation.
He also asked the court to take into account that the men had been in custody since their arrest in 2023 and had committed the offences while they were still relatively young.
However, Regional Court Prosecutor Rowan Souls argued that there was no basis to deviate from the prescribed minimum sentences.
“Teachers are the cornerstone of society. When you send your child to school, you expect them to be safe. You don’t expect people like the accused to traumatise children and rob their teachers,” he told the court.
Souls said the robberies were carefully planned and executed using the same modus operandi. The men posed as sponsors offering to donate sporting equipment to schools, using the ruse to gain access to school premises before carrying out the robberies.
He also submitted that none of the accused had shown any remorse for their crimes.
In addition to the prison terms, Khumalo declared all four men unfit to possess firearms.
The court further ordered that Shozi’s 35-year sentence run concurrently with a 10-year prison sentence imposed by another court in September 2024.
