Management of police in Gauteng has welcomed the hefty sentence handed down on 28 March 2019 by the Palm Ridge High Court on a 33 year old man found guilty of three counts of murder and two counts of attempted murder.
Vusi Cornelius Thobela of Diepkloof was arrested in October 2017, two days after a shooting incident that left three victims dead and two injured.
It was reported that Thobela on 7 October 2017, randomly fired shots along Ben Naude Drive in Diepkloof, Soweto resulting in three fatalities and two injured victims, one of whom was an elderly woman.
A multi-disciplinary team of investigators worked around the clock and arrested the suspect within 72 hours of the commission of the crime. The team presented a watertight case for prosecution, leading up to the successful conviction on 25 March 2019, and the subsequent long-term sentence handed down three days later.
Vusi Cornelius Thobela is now facing direct imprisonment premised on three life sentences for three counts of murder, and ten years for each count of attempted murder.
Gauteng Provincial Commissioner of police, Lieutenant General Elias Mawela applauded the team of investigators whose diligence and quality work secured this conviction as police intensify efforts to curb serious and violent crimes.
“Perpetrators of such violence like Vusi Thobela cannot be allowed to live among law abiding citizens in our communities. We remain committed to our promise to the public, to effectively fulfill our role in the criminal justice system with quality investigations that will see hardened criminals face long term imprisonment,” said General Mawela.
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