On 1 November 2017, Madadeni High Court convicted and sentenced Thulani Hloniphani Sibiya(38), to two life imprisonment and a total of 40 years imprisonment.
Sibiya pleaded guilty to the charges and was sentenced following the attack at a farm in Swart Umfolozi.
On 19 April 2016, the Van Rooyen’s were attacked by a group of heavily armed males who fired multiple gunshots at the family and robbed them of an undisclosed amount of cash.
Ronnie Lombard, 62, and William Van Rooyen were fatally shot whereas other two family members sustained serious gunshot wounds.
A case of two counts of murder, attempted murder and house robbery was opened at Gluckstadt police station and the docket was transferred to the Provincial Task Team for investigation. Police investigation led to the arrest of seven suspects who were charged, taken to court and kept in custody.
Sibiya pleaded guilty on all the charges and he was sentenced to life imprisonment for each murder, 15 years for two counts of attempted murder, 15 years for armed robbery and 10 years for kidnapping.
The other six co accused remained in custody and their trial has been set to resume in the mid of April 2018 to the mid of May 2018.
South Africa Today – South Africa News
