- Two Eastern Cape men have been handed long jail terms for murdering a man for his Road Accident Fund money.
- They went to his house, tortured him and forced him to hand over his bank card and PIN.
- A third man involved in the incident turned state witness and testified against his co-accused.
Two Eastern Cape men have been handed heavy sentences for torturing and ultimately killing a man for money he received from the Road Accident Fund.
The Mount Frere Regional Court convicted and sentenced Baxolele Mxabo, 30, and Wanda Dzingwe, 29, to life sentences for murder and 20 years' imprisonment for robbery.
The incident took place in November 2018. A third suspect involved in the matter turned state witness.
According to police spokesperson Captain Khaya Tonjeni, the 55-year-old victim had received a payout from the Road Accident Fund.
The three men went to his home in Mount Frere and demanded money from him. They tied him up, suffocated him with a paraffin-soaked cloth and tortured him while demanding that he give them his bank cards and PIN.
"He eventually gave in and the suspects withdrew money from his account. Upon their return, they tortured him until he died. They further took his private belongings and fled the scene," Tonjeni said.
"A case of murder and robbery was reported at Mount Frere police station and handed to Detective Sergeant Siyabonga Msindwana for further investigations. While following hot leads, he soon detected that the cellphone of the deceased was still being used, which led him to one of the suspects," he said.
"The trio were arrested a month later and they were found in possession of the deceased's personal belongings. The video footage from the bank where money was withdrawn from the deceased's bank account was also obtained, which also linked the accused to the case."
Eastern Cape police commissioner Lieutenant General Liziwe Ntshinga commended the investigation and court sentence.
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