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Three men who attacked and assaulted a farmer and four of his workers on their farm in the Amathole District last year will be sentenced next month.
Spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), Luxolo Tyali, said Odwa Dyabana, 26, Luthando Ngangelizwe, 29 and Siseko Qhayisa, 31, were convicted in the East London Magistrates' court last week on a string of charges.
He says the trio arrived on the farm, 'Lorain' in Bluewater, on 20 February 2024, under the pretence of wanting to buy dogs.
Tyali said once they gained the trust of the farm owner, they lured him to the kennels using his Toyota Land Cruiser, where they produced firearms, before tying him up.
He said the farmer and his workers were assaulted, kidnapped and held hostage while the attackers forced the owner to tell them where the keys to his safe were.
The men also tortured the farm owner with hot water while threatening to dismember him with a chainsaw.
Tyali said that when their attempts to access the safe failed, they used tools to dislodge it from the walls and loaded it onto the stolen Land Cruiser.
He said they also stole the farm owner's Toyota Hilux, a VW Polo and fled the scene in a convoy with their stolen loot, which included rifles, jewellery and other goods valued at over R2.2 million.
A day after the attack, police spokesperson Hazel Mqala told Algoa FM News that an off-duty K9 member alerted his colleagues that the suspects were heading towards East London.
She said a concerned community group spotted the cars travelling between Mooiplaas and the Brakfontein off-ramps, and a car chase ensued.
Captain Mqala said three suspects in the white Polo collided with a Quantum on the N2 Beacon Bay Retail Park off-ramp and rolled.
A female passenger in the taxi sustained a spinal injury and later died in the hospital, while 15 passengers sustained minor to severe injuries.
Dyabana, who was driving the stolen Polo, tried to flee the scene on foot but was arrested by the Green Scorpions. He was subsequently found guilty of culpable homicide concerning the death of the female passenger and reckless and negligent driving.
His accomplice, Ngangelizwe, was arrested after the Land Cruiser lost control of the N2 near the accident scene.
Tyali said Qhayisa, who had driven the vehicle, managed to evade police but was arrested a few days later.
He said a fourth person was also arrested and charged, but it turned out that he was just an e-hail driver who was asked to take the suspects to the farm.
The trio, who pleaded not guilty to all the charges, will be sentenced in the East London High Court next month.
Sentencing proceedings will get underway on the 1st of July 2025.
