Murderers of prosecutor’s father sentenced to life
An Eastern Cape prosecutor and her family got justice for their father whose killers were sentenced to life imprisonment.
CAPE TOWN, April 16 (ANA) – An Eastern Cape prosecutor and her family got justice for their father whose killers were sentenced to life imprisonment.
In a statement on Friday, Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) spokeswoman Captain Yolisa Mgolodela said Masixole Mbeki and Lunga Welkom were sentenced in the Port Elizabeth high Court on Thursday.
She said in November 2019, the Hawks’ serious organised crime investigation unit was notified about a murder in Jeffreys Bay, and upon arrival at the scene discovered the body of 77-year-old Johnnie Marx who had been assaulted and had lacerations to his neck indicating strangulation.
He had also been robbed of his belongings.
Marx was the father of advocate Zelda Swanepoel from the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions in Gqeberha, previously Port Elizabeth.
“The Hawks’ investigation led to the arrest of two men. Items stolen during the ordeal as well as items purchased using the deceased’s credit card after his death were found in their possession. One of the accused confessed to the crimes,” Mgolodela said.
The pair were each sentenced to life imprisonment for murder, 25 years imprisonment for robbery with aggravating circumstances and 15 years imprisonment for fraud and money laundering.
Provincial head of the Hawks Major General Mboiki Ngwenya applauded the team for securing a conviction.
He said violent crime was a scourge which knew no boundaries, with even high profile public figures such as Swanepoel either directly or indirectly vulnerable to it.
– African News Agency (ANA), Editing by Stella Mapenzauswa
