File Claudio Calvert, a 22-year-old gang member, has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of Cameron Rayston Daniels in Gqeberha, highlighting the ongoing issue of gang violence in South Africa. Picture: File image
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Gang member Claudio Calvert has been sentenced to a life term of imprisonment for murder.
The 22-year-old was sentenced in The High Court of South Africa in Gqeberha.
Calvert is a member of the Northern Areas’ New Kids Gang.
In addition to murder, Calvert was sentenced to a further 15 years for possession of an unlicensed firearm and five years for illegal possession of ammunition.
According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), the murder incident took place on July 15, 2022.
The victim, 32-year-old Cameron Rayston Daniels, was walking from Leith Street into Baatjies Street in Gqeberha, when Calvert took out a firearm, and fatally shot him in broad daylight.
Daniels died at the scene.
"Two days after the incident, police investigations led to the arrest of Calvert, who eyewitnesses identified," said NPA spokesperson Luxolo Tyali.
Calvert pleaded not guilty at the start of the trial.
"He raised an alibi that he was asleep at his cousin's house during the commission of the crime.
" However, State Advocate Sivuyile McKay presented evidence from two witnesses. One witness testified that he had seen Calvert with a firearm in his hand, running away from the scene of the crime.
"Another 17-year-old witness, who resided at the same property as the deceased, told the court that he had witnessed the actual shooting and pointed at Calvert as the shooter."
During sentencing, the State argued for a fitting sentence, despite Calvert's age.
The NPA said that the State argued that there has been no real let-up in the gang-related crime pandemic that engulfs the whole country, especially Helenvale, the area where the killer and the deceased resided, and the situation continues to be alarming.
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