Life sentences for Cape Town criminals after a violent 24-hour robbery and murder spree
Cebo Soboyise and Zola Golela were sentenced for their 24-hour robbery and killing spree, which included the murders of two brothers in the presence of their father, and the robbery and murder of an off-duty police officer in Delft.
Image: AI / Sora
Two murderers will each serve three life sentences after the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) successfully prosecuted the men described as dangerous criminals.
Cebo Soboyise and Zola Golela were sentenced for their 24-hour robbery and killing spree, which included the murders of two brothers in the presence of their father, and the robbery and murder of an off-duty police officer in Delft.
NPA spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said the sentences were handed down by the Western Cape High Court.
Soboyise and Golela were convicted on four counts of robbery with aggravating circumstances, three counts of murder, and a count of illegal possession of a firearm.
Eric Ntabazalila, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson in the Western Cape.
Image: Armand Hough / Independent Newspapers
The court sentenced the accused to three life sentences each for the three counts of murder, 60 years' direct imprisonment each for the four counts of robbery with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, and 15 years' direct imprisonment for the illegal possession of a firearm.
During the trial, the accused pleaded not guilty to all the charges, arguing they were not present at the crime scenes, as they were engaged in other activities.
“State Advocate Darren Rudolph of the NPA’s Organised Crime Component managed to piece together a successful prosecution based on circumstantial evidence backed by 18 witnesses, ballistic reports, gunshot residue reports, cellphone‑tower data, distinctive clothing identification reports, recovery of stolen items, and the circumstances surrounding the arrest of the accused,” said Ntabazalila.
The witnesses testified that on the afternoon of November 26, 2019, one of the two accused entered the Shoprite Liquor Store in Makhaza, Khayelitsha, and requested a cash back of R100 from two cashiers.
“He left, and two accused returned armed with firearms, and one forced a security guard to lie face down, while the other went to rob the two cashiers of their till drawers with an undisclosed amount of cash.
“Later that evening, the State proved that three men robbed Idahoff Superette in Voortrekker Road, Bellville, of cash, cellphones, and cigarettes. They also robbed a customer of his iPhone, which was tracked and later led to the arrests of the accused,” said Ntabazalila.
As the court heard about their continued reign of terror, the State detailed how Sandiswa Zwakala and his two sons, Siyabonga and Siyanda, were in their rooms preparing to sleep at their Delft home, when Siyanda went outside to smoke.
“The father and Siyabonga heard Siyanda screaming and then gunshots. They both rushed out and found one of the accused standing in the lounge with a firearm in his hand. Siyabonga shouted at him to get out of the house. Siyabonga was shot as he rushed to close the burglar door. He rushed to his room and died in his father’s arms. The father later found Siyanda’s lifeless body on the couch in the lounge."
During the trial, they denied being involved in the spate of robberies and the murder of the police officer.