The North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria sentenced three illegal Zimbabwean nationals to life imprisonment for the murder of two girls in Olievenhoutbosch.
The men, Edison Ngamiko, 38, Amos Hassan Masiya, 38, and Edron Panashe Chisanako, 39, were sentenced to two life terms each for two counts of murder.
The court further sentenced the trio to 10 years of direct imprisonment each for attempted murder and 12 months imprisonment for being illegal in the country.
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson, Lumka Mahanjana, said the three men were approached by the three girls aged 15, 16, and 23 at Mashanganeng Tavern in Olievenhoutbosch on February 17, 2023.
“The girls requested money from the trio to purchase alcohol, and the men initially provided them with R40. When the girls asked for an additional R20 to pay a male companion who was going to accompany them home, the accused complied, bringing the total amount given to R60,” said Mahanjana.
Later that night, as the girls were leaving the tavern, the men accompanied them and when they reached Mamello Street, Chisanako demanded sexual favours from the 15-year-old girl.
The girl refused and the 16-year-old reprimanded Chisanako. He drew out a gun shot the 16-year-old in the neck and she immediately collapsed.
“He then shot the other two girls multiple times, leading to their deaths at the scene. A shot fired during the chaos hit Ngamiko accidentally and then upon realising that 16-year-old was still alive, Ngamiko attempted to finish the job, but the firearm had run out of bullets, thereafter they fled the scene,” said Mahanjana.
The 16-year-old crawled home and reported the incident.
Police discovered the two bodies of the girls when patrolling the area at night.
Police investigation led to Ngamiko’s arrest three days later while he was receiving treatment for his gunshot wound.
Masiya was arrested on October 9, 2023 on unrelated charges but was later linked to the murder.
Following his arrest, he identified Chisanako and he was also arrested the next day.
During the trial, all three accused pleaded not guilty, with Ngamiko and Masiya acknowledging the incident but they threw Chisanako under the bus and blamed him for the murders.
However, Chisanako denied being present on the day of the incident.
During sentencing, the defence sought leniency, appealing to the court to consider their family responsibilities in Zimbabwe but the prosecution argued that the men lacked remorse and were linked to other violent crimes including robbery and house breaking.
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