Two farm attackers sentenced to 20 years each for murder, attempted murder and robbery

Two men convicted in connection with a brutal farm attack that left an elderly farmer dead and his wife seriously injured have each been sentenced to an effective 20 years behind bars.

Over the weekend, Mpumalanga police welcomed the conviction and sentencing of Nkosingiphile Malinga and Samukelo Tshabalala for their roles in the attack on a farm in Grootvlei in July 2023.

The attack occurred on July 30, 2023, when police responded to reports of violence at a farm near Grootvlei. When they arrived, officers found the body of a 68-year-old man who had sustained fatal stab wounds. His 65-year-old wife was discovered with severe head injuries and was rushed to hospital for treatment.

Investigators established that the attackers had robbed the couple of their vehicle, firearms, ammunition and several electrical appliances before fleeing the scene.

A police lookout for the stolen vehicle was immediately activated. The vehicle was later found overturned near Villiers, where police apprehended four suspects.

The accused were identified as Siyabonga Ziqubu, Kgahliso Motaung, Samukelo Tshabalala and Nkosingiphile Malinga, who were all teenagers at the time of the attack.

The matter was transferred from the Balfour Magistrate’s Court to the Mpumalanga High Court sitting in Middelburg, where the accused faced charges including murder, attempted murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances, contraventions of the Older Persons Act and violations of the Firearms Control Act.

Earlier this month, Malinga and Tshabalala entered into a plea and sentence agreement with the state under Section 105A of the Criminal Procedure Act.

The court sentenced each of them to 25 years’ imprisonment for murder, with five years suspended on condition they are not convicted of a similar offence during the suspension period. They also received sentences for attempted murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances, violations of the Older Persons Act and firearms-related offences.

However, the court ordered that the sentences on the remaining counts run concurrently with the murder sentence, resulting in an effective sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment for each accused.

The cases against Ziqubu and Motaung have been separated from those of their co-accused. Their trial is scheduled to take place in the Delmas High Court between November 6 and 17.

Mpumalanga Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant-General Apaphia Modise praised the investigating team, prosecutors and the judiciary for securing the convictions.

“This sentencing should send a clear message that those who attack victims, including members of farming communities and vulnerable elderly persons, will face the full might of the law,” Modise said.

Police also commended the investigating officer from the Gert Sibande District Murder and Robbery Unit for what they described as a meticulous investigation that helped secure the convictions.