Four men accused of robbing and slitting the throat of a North West businessman in front of his family last year, have been sentenced to life imprisonment in the North West High Court sitting in Klerksdorp.

Bonisile Spaydile, 50, George Makhobosi, 43, Joseph Mandlathi, 39 and Sibonelo Mlambo, 30, were sentenced on Wednesday.

In addition to the life sentences, they were further handed 15 years each for armed robbery, five years for kidnapping and three years for theft.

Mlambo was also given an additional eight years for the illegal possession of a firearm and one year for possession of ammunition. 

Their sentences were ordered to run concurrently.

Police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Amanda Funani said on July 23 2017, the four brutally murdered 63-year-old businessman, Abo Kooreshi, in his home in Noordpark, Wolmaranstad.

"Kooreshi was at his residence in the evening with his 60-year-old wife and daughter, 27, when four men forced entry into the house. The men then tied the family with electrical cords, before demanding money. It came out during the proceedings that although Kooreshi gave the accused money that was inside his safe, they demanded more.

"When they did not get more money, one of them went to the kitchen and came back with a knife which he used to slit Kooreshi's throat in the presence and full view of his wife and daughter," Funani said.

Ransacked the house

The four then ransacked the house and took a laptop, cellphones and jewellery.

Funani said Kooreshi's daughter gave the accused her father's bank card and pleaded with them not to kill her and her mother.

"The accused fled the scene with the family's KIA vehicle with Kooreshi's wife and daughter inside. They went to the bank where they withdrew an undisclosed amount of cash before driving to the N12 freeway where they dumped the pair in the veld. The family's vehicle was later found abandoned 16km outside Wolmaranstad.

"Thorough diligence and proper investigations by the provincial organised crime unit, one suspect was arrested and properties belonging to the family were recovered the following day. Three other suspects were later arrested in Welkom and Wedela, respectively. Further investigation led the police to Vryburg."

In Delareyville, en route to Vryburg, police saw another suspect.

During the search, police found that the suspect was in possession of the victim's bank card, two firearms as well as ammunition.

The fifth suspect was released because there was no evidence to link her to the case.