Mang toe is jy: Robber & cop shooter sentenced to 20 years
SENT TO PRISON: Sithembele Yabo.
A gun-toting thug, who opened fire on the Flying Squad during a business robbery, has been sentenced to 20 years in the mang.
According to court documents, the dom skelm took the rap for all his tjommies after the robbery in Grassy Park in December 2021, as witnesses were too afraid to testify.
During the incident at the Vrede Lake Superette, Sithembele Yabo, started klapping skote on heavily-armed cops.
Yabo, along with four other skelms, were busted after the Flying Squad received a tip-off that they had embarked on a robbery spree on 2 December 2021.
Grassy Park police spokesperson, captain Wynita Kleinsmith, says at the time, the Flying Squad became aware that the group had met in Crossroads to plot out the robbery and later went to Nyanga to fetch firearms and ammunition.
“They arrived at the store where they held three people at gunpoint and ransacked the shop.
“They took over R25 000 cash, cigarettes and other items. While they were inside the shop Flying Squad arrived and they started firing shots.
“Officers returned fire but nobody was injured.
“The officers arrested them inside the store and they were all charged with business robbery, illegal possession of firearms and ammunition and Yabo faced an additional charge of attempted murder for firing on the police officers.”
The five men appeared in Wynberg Regional Court for the trial and the case was investigated by sergeant Vuyo Gumenke.
Kleinsmith explains that the trial became hamstrung when the shop owner and witnesses refused to testify despite ongoing assistance from the detective.
“They said they were too scared and as a result four of the five men were found not guilty of the business robbery charge.
“The Flying Squad officers positively identified Yabo as the man who fired at them and he was convicted of the attempted murder charge.
“He also told the court that all the guns found in the shop belonged to him and all of his friends got off.
“He was handed down various sentences but in total he will serve 20 years direct imprisonment.”