The Hawks’ Serious Organised Crime investigation secured a fifteen years imprisonment of a former cash-in-transit guard, Tebogo Abraham Leotlela (49) on Friday, 24 March 2023, in the Soshanguve Magistarte’s Court for an armed robbery that took place on 28 October 2019.
Leotlela was amongst a group of armed robbers who derailed Fidelity guards inside Batho Plaza in Soshanguve just after they had serviced a Capitec bank ATM cubicle.
Follow-up investigation resulted in the arrest of Leotlela on 30 October 2019, he has been in jail ever since as his numerous bail attempts were successfully opposed.
The solid investigation also ensured that Jan Mafolo (32), Paul Patrick Sekhalelo (42), both former Fidelity guards, Ernest Lesiba alias ‘Wire’ now deceased and July Mkhatswa (39), were also promptly arrested and charged.
Mafolo, Sekhaolelo and Makhatswa cases were finalised between February and March 2022. They elected to plead guilty and got sentenced to imprisonment ranging from 10 to 39 years respectively.
The Gauteng Provincial Head of the Hawks Major General Ebrahim Kadwa has credited the investigator for the successful conviction and sentence. “Tackling cash-in-transit robberies remains one our top priorities in the province. We are intensifying operations to curb this scourge. The investigators should be proud that their industrious efforts have ensured that such dangerous individuals have been removed from society”, he concluded.
