Durban - It may have taken nearly five years, but two couples in Durban North whose homes were burgled had the last laugh this week when three gang members were handed a collective 76-and-a-half years of jail time for their involvement in the home invasions.
Besides terrorising, torturing and making off with a large quantity of valuables from two Durban North homes in separate incidents in 2018, a gang of robbers also taunted the families about improving security.
“They lectured my husband on how he should have done X, Y and Z to the fence and windows to make the house safe while they had him bound and gagged,” said Taweni Marcella Xaba, whose home was invaded on October 13, 2018.
Four days later, the gang stormed the home of Raylan Dunbar Kahn and her boyfriend Alain. However, Gcinah Mbhele, 39, Sithembiso Ntsele, 39, and Khanyiswa Msomi, 37, were sentenced on Tuesday by acting magistrate Jackie Jonck in the Durban Regional Court.
The State was represented by prosecutor Surekha Marimuthu. Kahn and Alain, who have since married, were asleep when the balaclava-clad, gun-toting robbers barged into their bedroom with dog Jazzy.
Alain was assaulted and Kahn was repeatedly told she would be raped if they were defiant. The robbers removed diving watches and three diamonds from Alain’s safe.
The robbers located a safe in the home and helped themselves to the diving watches and three diamonds inside. After ransacking the house, they loaded other valuables, including TVs, laptops and clothing, into Kahn’s Range Rover.
Marshall Security officers Brad Hatfield and Zandre Grobler tracked the gang to Amaoti in Inanda and gave chase.
Ntsele, who drove the Rover, lost control and crashed into a house in the informal settlement. Two women who were in the house, one of whom was pregnant, sustained minor injuries, but the house was destroyed. The fourth member of the gang was killed at the scene in a shoot-out with the security officers.
In the other home invasion, the Xabas were asleep when three armed men entered their bedroom with two of their three young daughters in tow. After four hours of torturing and taunting the family, they left with appliances, costume jewellery and devices worth more than R100 000, as well as clothing and food items from the fridge.
An old computer with pictures of the Xaba’s deceased sister was taken despite her impressing upon them the sentimental value of the images.
Some gang members were identified by Xaba in an identification parade.
Mbhele was linked to the invasion of the Xabas’ home and received a 15-year sentence for robbery with aggravating circumstances. Msomi, who drove the getaway vehicle in Xabas’ incident, received a 10-year sentence on the same charge. Mbhele and Ntsele were involved in the Danville robbery and received 15 years’ imprisonment each.
They were handed six years of jail time each for attempted murder for shooting at Marshall Security officials. Ntsele received 18 months’ imprisonment for reckless driving and a further two years for malicious damage to the Amaoti house.
He was also sentenced to three years’ imprisonment for assault. Reacting to the sentencing, Xaba said: “After what they did, I wasn’t looking for anything less.
“It also gives hope to South Africans feeling that the guys with the black hats (criminals) were winning.” “The intentionality of the torture makes us believe these were not some poor people who were hungry. It was just cruel,” Xaba said.
Xaba said they tied their two older daughters who were 12 and 10 at the time, and were separated from her younger child (8) while they tortured her husband.
“These were sadistic people making comments about how beautiful our daughters were. By sending that subliminal suggestion, they knew it would strike fear in our hearts.”
Xaba said the robbers mockingly apologised and said to her husband: “Sorry bro, we thought a white family lived here.”
“It was a lie, they did their homework. When my husband responded, ‘now that you know, why don’t you leave’.
“They said once they start a job, they have to complete it.”
Xaba praised the tenacity and determination of the police and prosecutor working the case.
“The police and justice system works,” Xaba said.
Kahn was “very surprised” by the sentences because she had lost faith. “I try not to think about the ordeal of that night. At the time we didn’t believe we would get out alive.”
Kahn said she worked and earned from a commission structure and she was without a vehicle for six months.
Mentally, the ordeal had the biggest impact. I had flashbacks. It was difficult to dela with day-to-day situations.
Our dog died within a week and my cat became ill and also died from the trauma about four months later.
“We managed to put all of that past us and now we are happily married.”
SUNDAY TRIBUNE