Two men who shot dead a woman during an attack at a house near Ventersdorp in North West on Christmas Day in 2020 were each sentenced to life imprisonment on Friday.
In addition, Moses Thamae, 45, and Chakale Lesenya, 35, were sentenced to 100 years in prison each by the North West High Court in Klerksdorp on six charges of attempted murder, three acts of robbery with aggravating circumstances, possession of a firearm, and possession of ammunition.
Thamae was identified as the former boyfriend of the woman killed during the attack.
The men had pleaded not guilty.
“Their conviction emanates from an incident that took place at Tshing where the two stormed into a house wearing face masks and in possession of firearms.
“They then ordered the occupants to lie down on the floor and demanded money,” National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Henry Mamothame said.
Two of the people on the couch remained sitting.
The intruders stole cellphones from the residents before opening fire inside the home, fatally shooting one of the women sitting on the couch. A male friend was also shot but escaped unharmed.
Several people who had entered the residence after the initial bullets were fired were also shot at by the attackers, but they escaped unharmed.
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Thamae was detained at his Germiston business on January 14, 2021, while Lesenya surrendered to authorities 11 days later. The two had been denied bail and had been detained since their arrest.
Judge Samkelo Gura stated that the shooting of the deceased, who was hit by more than 15 bullets, demonstrated the “cruelty” of the attack.
