A 25-year-old man has received an eight-year prison sentence for robbing a house in Fish Hoek.
Nkosi Siphamandla was sentenced by the Wynberg Regional Court on Thursday, October 27 after he pleaded guilty to robbery following a plea bargain with the State.
He gained entry to a 10th Avenue house through a bathroom window in September last year and was arrested after his fingerprints were found at the crime scene.
At the time, the Echo reported that Siphamandla and another man, Ayalulena Barnes, both from Nyanga, were arrested for their alleged involvement in three house robberies in Tenth Avenue, Disa Avenue, and Kenwood Street.
In each case, single elderly women were targeted. They were tied up while their homes were ransacked, (“DNA helps solve cold case, police say,” Echo, November 25, 2021).
According to investigating officer Detective Warrant Officer Joe Scheepers, on the day of the robbery, the owner of the house was in her bedroom, with the door locked, when she heard a noise in the house.
As she unlocked the door, Siphamandla was standing in front of her. He overpowered her and tied her up and ransacked the house taking her laptop and phone among other items.
Warrant Officer Scheepers said Siphamandla had also been linked to two other robberies for which he currently faces charges.
Fish Hoek station commander Lieutenant Colonel Jackie Johnson said it was important for residents who had had break-ins to report them to the police so that fingerprints could be taken.
“Fingerprints can positively link a suspect to a crime scene which can lead to a successful conviction,” she said.
