2 thieving brothers bite the dust
ALEXANDRA - Two brothers who pleaded guilty were each imprisoned for eight years by the Alexandra Magistrates Court for armed robbery of two victims an hour apart.
Two brothers who pleaded guilty to two cases of armed robbery, involving two different victims in separate incidents an hour apart, received an eight-year prison sentence each by Alexandra Magistrates’ Court.
Nico (36) and Mandla Ndzendze (24) were found guilty of robbing the victims of their personal belongings on 4th and 7th Avenues between 10pm and 11.30pm on 16 November last year.
The court heard that the accused robbed the first victim of a cellphone at about 10pm as he was walking along 7th Avenue. The suspects pointed a firearm at the victim, searched him and stole his cellphone. After the suspects left the scene, the victim reported the crime to Alex police.
An hour later, the two robbed a woman of her handbag as she was returning home from work. The victim alighted from a taxi on the corner of 4th and Sam Buti avenues in Alex and waited for another taxi to take her home to Eastbank.
The two accused stood near the victim and after one of them asked her where the taxi that had dropped her was going to, he hurled insults at her. After insulting the victim, one of the suspects pulled out a firearm and demanded her belongings. The victim threw her handbag, which contained house and work keys, R560, bank cards, a cellphone and shoes at the suspect.
Meanwhile, occupants of a passing taxi witnessed the incident and drove to her aid, but the two suspects ran away before the taxi arrived. The driver of the taxi, passengers and the victim drove around searching for the suspects and found them near Helen Joseph Women’s Hostel on 4th Avenue.
The suspects tried to escape when they saw the taxi approaching, but the taxi driver gave chase on foot and caught Nico, who confessed to the incident. He took them to Mandla, who was in possession of the woman’s handbag, shoes and cellphone.
The keys and bank cards were not recovered nor were the first victim’s cellphone and the firearm used in the robbery.
