Springs SAPS Detective Sergeant Raymond Mogashoa has secured another win under his belt by bringing justice to the murderers of two men and other victims they terrorised.
He said the case started over a missing goat on December 7, 2021, when Director Nhlabathi, a former EMPD officer, checked on his livestock in Etwatwa and realised one of his goats was missing.
Upon investigation, he found a shepherd Shaka, had stolen, killed and cooked the entrails of the goat.
Bringing in fellow livestock owners, which include Fani Masuku, his son Bongani, and Moses Malindi, they started an assault spree that led to the uncovering of an alleged livestock syndicate.
“Nhlabathi called the owners from around the vicinity as they had also experienced the same problems with their livestock going missing with no answers.”
This led the group to go around, questioning other shepherds and assaulting them with a sjambok, steel rods and a hard rubber pick handle.
Their hunt took them as far as Slovo Park to seek another shepherd to question and assault him.
When the morning of December 8 dawned, they stopped because of the rain. They sought medical attention for the shepherds they had assaulted and took them to the Etwatwa Clinic.
“They left Shaka behind in his shack, as they could tell he was already dying.”
ALSO CHECK: Man confesses to the murder of EMPD officer
Another shepherd named Motaung succumbed to his injuries later at the clinic.
“The others survived and were transferred to the Far East Rand Hospital.”
Upon investigations and a lengthy trial, the group was convicted on December 3, which rested on two counts of murder (two life sentences), four counts of assault with grievous bodily harm (five years for each count) and four counts of kidnapping (three years for each count).
During a court appearance on February 18, Nhlabathi appealed the decision. His bail was denied pending a response from the high court.
ALSO CHECK: Father stabbed to death in Tsakani after dispute over rubbish bin
At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
Stay in the know. Download the Caxton Local News Network App here.