Ten robbers, 235 years: KwaZulu-Natal chain stores left with R8.1 million bill
The Durban Regional Court sentenced ten men for armed robberies at clothing and jewellery stores across KwaZulu-Natal between 2017 and 2019, with The Foschini Group telling the court the spree cost it R8.1 million.
Ten men who robbed chain stores across KwaZulu-Natal over two years have been sentenced to a combined 235 years in prison, with the longest single term at 41 years, in a case that laid out both the violence of the robberies and the cost to the businesses that were hit.
The men appeared in the Durban Regional Court on 20 counts of armed robbery. They were convicted and sentenced for business robberies in Durban Central, Estcourt in 2019, Pinetown in 2018, Tongaat in 2018 and KwaDukuza in 2018.
As IOL reported on 23 October, the group was dubbed the “Man G Gang” in court papers by retired Captain Rajen Nagesar, formerly of the Provincial Organised Crime unit, who investigated the cases. Nagesar told the court that a group of 10 to 15 men had been robbing stores of cash, jewellery and cellphones, and that he linked the accused to the crimes through identification parades, fingerprints and video footage.
“The robberies were carried out in a brazen manner,” Nagesar said. In the court papers he stated that one of the men had also been linked to a similar offence in Cape Town.
The charge sheet sets out the stores hit. American Swiss Jewellers and Sportscene in Durban in November 2017, Jet Stores in December 2017, Clicks in West Street in February 2018, Exact Store in West Street in April 2018, Markham in August 2018, Total Sports in KwaDukuza in July 2018, Exact in KwaDukuza in November 2018, and The Fix at City View Mall in March 2019.
Matthew Gounden, a forensic investigator at The Foschini Group, told the court during the trial that the businesses suffered a total loss of R8.1 million as a direct result of the syndicate’s actions. Gounden said the company also incurred high additional costs to upgrade CCTV systems and deploy extra security guards across its stores to prevent further incidents.
The human cost was set out in the same testimony. “Staff members were injured during the robberies and remain severely traumatised,” Gounden said. “Several employees have since left the business due to the trauma experienced. The accused have shown no remorse for their actions throughout the proceedings.”
He said the business suffered a considerable loss of income through operational disruptions and store closures linked to the robberies, and that victim support and counselling were given to staff.
The sentences, handed down on Friday, are:
Thabiso Mdletshe, 20 counts of armed robbery, 41 years’ direct imprisonment.
Philani Magongo, one count, 15 years’ imprisonment.
Wanda Mcwabe, nine counts, 31 years’ direct imprisonment.
Michael Nxumalo, five counts, 24 years’ direct imprisonment.
Khanyisani Thusi, four counts, 18 years’ direct imprisonment.
Lindani Ndlovu, one count, 18 years’ direct imprisonment.
Thokozani Mdlalose, six counts, 30 years’ direct imprisonment.
Sandile Ngcobo, three counts, 21 years’ direct imprisonment.
Sabelo Shandu, three counts, 25 years’ direct imprisonment.
Andile Mchunu, five counts, 27 years’ direct imprisonment.
One of the men was also found guilty of unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition. Most of the charges were read with common purpose. Some of the men were brought to court by Department of Correctional Services staff because they had been imprisoned on other robbery matters outside Durban.
Prosecutor Surekha Marimuthu is expected to continue addressing the court on sentencing on Wednesday.
For shopworkers on the country’s busiest retail strips, the case turns on a detail that rarely makes it into a charge sheet. The people behind the tills were injured, some left their jobs, and the company spent money on cameras and guards after the fact. The R8.1 million figure is the loss the court was told about, and it sits alongside the cost of securing stores that were already trading on thin margins.
Nagesar’s own words to the court put the wider problem plainly. “Robbery with aggravating circumstances is now very prevalent in society, and the magistrates at regional courts have commented that this crime appears to be a national pastime in the country, and society needs to be protected from the aggressors,” he said. “Keeping them in custody will ensure public safety and restore the public’s confidence.”
The Enquirer will follow the sentencing proceedings when the court sits again on Wednesday.
