Nomonde Zondi|Published
THE MASTERPIECE of the plot to hijack a truck containing R700 000 worth of meat from a Chester butchery, in an incident in which a police officer of the Thekwini Municipality was killed, was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Durban High Court on Wednesday.
In this incident that happened on July 20, 2023, Captain Errol George Ogle was shot dead.
Evidence before the court revealed that before the incident, Mlungisi Phakamani Mpanza (33) and Mzomuhle Lawrence Gamede (41), had just been fired from Chester following their involvement in an illegal strike.
Driven by frustration, they hijacked one of the butcher trucks on the M7 near Queensburgh, Durban, and kidnapped its driver. Their plan turned into a problem when the gears of the truck jammed at a distance of 50 kilometers from the place where they had kidnapped him. It stopped right in the middle of the road, carrying meat worth R731 530. That’s when Ogle came and stopped the police car he was driving next to it. It is said that before he got out of the car, he was shot in the chest and died at the scene.
Mpanza appeared in court, he was the one who came up with the plot to hijack the truck, he had planned to take the meat and sell it to another butcher.
The judge, Garth Harrison, sentenced Mpanza to life imprisonment for murder, 15 years for armed robbery, and three years for kidnapping.
His colleague, Gamede, was sentenced to 15 years for armed robbery, and three for kidnapping. Harrison decided to have their sentences run concurrently.
Presenting the sentence, he said he was aware that both defendants were committing the crime for the first time, and they chose not to provide evidence for a reduced sentence.
It turns out that Mpanza is not married, he is the father of three children and he was the breadwinner when it turned out that Gamede has four children.
The judge found that there are no concrete circumstances that compel the court to change the age limit for similar crimes. He said that although Mpanza was the first to commit a crime, he organized his robbery team well.
“There is no reason for me to deviate from the 15-year sentence imposed on the charges of armed robbery. There is also nothing concrete that would make me shorten the three-year sentence imposed on the kidnapping charges,” he said.
The judge also revealed that the victim was a police officer, and that Mpanza was given a life sentence for killing him.
The defendants were simply sentenced, and the State’s witness, Mr. Vuyokazi JamJam, testified.
Outside the court, the wife of the deceased, Mrs. Faith Ogle was bitter, but she said she accepted the sentence given to the defendants.
“It has been a long journey, at times it seemed like we would not get justice, today I accept the sentence, we are closing the chapter, now it is time for us to heal,” said Mrs. Ogle.
He said he and his two sons are slowly coming to terms with the loss of the pillar of the family.
“There are less tears now for us, we are starting to be able to laugh a little. Happiness is starting to come slowly to our home, we have accepted what happened to us,” he said.