Philippi crime spree ends with life sentence for Siphenkosi Gwazekhaya

Convicted of 21 crimes, Siphenkosi Gwazekhaya, 27, will serve life behind bars for traumatising the community of Philippi through his criminal actions.

Judge Nonthuthezlo Ralarala handed down sentence in the Western Cape High Court yesterday saying Gwazekhaya's crime spree had deeply affected those who he targeted.

Gwazekhaya faced multiple charges including murder, attempted murder, kidnapping, robbery with aggravating circumstances, possession of firearms and ammunition and various contraventions of the Firearms Control Act.

Reflecting on victim impact statements heard in closing arguments, Judge Ralarala said the actions of Gwazekhaya, also known as Bhoyoyo, resulted in victims living in fear in their community and they were violated in their homes through his brazen criminal acts. 

The court heard that the lives of families who were victims of housebreaking and robbery with aggravating circumstances, were “transformed forever, for the worse”, and victims had to move from the area. An attempted murder victim continues to suffer from discomfort in his leg due to a gunshot wound.

The judge added that his continued acts of violence, often committed in broad daylight and with a total disregard for the lives of the deceased and attempted murder victims, was evident of the prevalence of violence across the country.

The murder committed was when a taxi owner’s son was kidnapped and then taken to his father’s house so Gwazekhaya could steal a legally owned firearm.

A struggle ensued and the taxi owner was shot dead in his home. According to court details, the deceased was shot six times - three of the bullet wounds were to his head. 

“The seriousness of these crimes can’t be emphasised enough. The manner in which the robberies and housebreaking happened is very concerning. There was a thought process and planning that went into it as the same modus operandi was used. 

“You shamelessly traumatised the community. You committed these crimes in their homes - which are their sanctuaries. Through the victim impact statements we heard the voices of the victims. There was no form of remorse shown throughout proceedings. Even after conviction, you insist on your innocence,” said Judge Ralarala.

Two victims affected by the crimes of Gwazekhaya attended the proceedings yesterday morning. Sisters, Nomnikelo and Anelitha Mbombo, welcomed the life sentence handed down to the man who broke into their home. 

“We are feeling so grateful that the judge made the right decision. We believe justice has been served and it’s what we wanted,” they said. 

National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson, Eric Ntabazalila, highlighted that the crime spree occurred in the Philippi area from 2017 until 2020. 

“The accused and other unknown co-perpetrators robbed legal owners of their firearms. The modus operandi was to approach the houses when children were alone at home, break into the houses and assault and threaten the minors to gain entry to safes and rob the firearms and ammunition held.

“The accused and unknown group approached a group of City of Cape officials who during the Covid period was repairing the water connection in the Philippi area and robbed them of all their belongings and shot one official. The victim was left with a lifelong disability and these co-workers are traumatised to this day,” said Ntabazalila.

Cape Times