Hitch-hiking spot robber sentenced to hefty years behind bars

RUSTENBURG – The Rustenburg Regional Court has sentenced a 34-year-old hitch-hiking spot robber Goitsemodimo Kekae to 32 years of direct imprisonment. Kekae was a mine employee at the time he committed the crimes. He was charged and convicted of fifteen counts of robbery with aggravating circumstances.

The conviction stems from the spree of robbery incidents that were reported near Rustenburg, Mogwase and Koster from October 2014 to January 2015. It is alleged that the information reached the police about a person who was driving a Toyota Corolla robbing people in hiking spots. Investigations revealed that the accused would offer a person a hike upon boarding that person would be robbed of his or her belongings and threatened with a gun.

After the police received many reports about this hitch-hiking spot robber, they organised an undercover operation to apprehend the suspect. His car was stopped during the operation and the cellphones of the victims he had earlier robbed were recovered. The accused was arrested on 11 March 2015 after the police intensive operations in tracking the said Toyota Corolla. In court, he pleaded not guilty to all the charges against him. Evidence presented in court indicated that the accused would use a firearm to rob the victims and take their belongings.

During sentencing, State Advocate Rodger Mareume emphasised the fact that the accused was employed shows that he committed the offence out of greed and with intentions to traumatize his victims and called for the prescribed minimum sentence to be imposed. In delivering judgment, Magistrate Samuel Maboho indicated that we live in a society which is becoming increasingly lawless where firearms are frequently used. He said that robbery is always a deliberately planned crime where victims cannot take precautions against such offences.

Welcoming the sentence, Dr Rachel Makhari, Director of Public Prosecutions in North West, commended the diligent efforts of the Police Service, State Prosecutor, and all role players involved in this case. The DPP emphasised the need for community cooperation with authorities in reporting any acts of criminality. The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) remains committed to ensuring accountability and fighting crime in South Africa.