PARKTOWN – Warrant Officer Tello Jonas Motha worked hard to ensure that the gang members who have been terrorising the community of Geluksdal in Ekurhuleni are permanently removed from society.
The five gang members appeared in the Gauteng North High Court in Pretoria on Monday, 07 December 2020 where they were each sentenced to double life terms imprisonment for the murder of two people, 26 years imprisonment for attempted murder, five years for possession of unlicensed firearms, and two years for possession of ammunition.
On 7 April 2018, five men were involved in a drive-by shooting that resulted in the death of two men, injuring four others. The assailants traveled in a single-vehicle and opened fire on a group of friends who were seated on the side of the road, in Geluksdal, Tsakane.
A tracing operation by the police led to the arrest of all the suspects on 10 April 2018. Warrant Officer Motha worked tirelessly to collect all necessary evidence and presented it to court.
The accused stood trial and were convicted on two counts of murder, four counts of attempted murder, counts of possession of unlicensed firearms, and possession of live ammunition in a court sitting held on 27 November 2020.
On the afternoon of the sentencing, the prosecutor read two letters, each coming from the mother of the two men who died as a result of the shooting and the letters stressed how distraught the women were, emphasizing that not knowing the motive for the killings makes it hard for them to find closure.
The Provincial Commissioner of the police in Gauteng, Lieutenant General Elias Mawela welcomed the sentence handed down to the ruthless killers and commended Warrant Officer Motha for his hard work and excellent investigation that led to the successful conviction and sentencing of the accused. “This sentence will send a strong message to gang members who are involved in killings and terrorising of the community in our province,” said Lieutenant General Mawela.