Police spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Amanda Funani, said Bonisile Spaydile, 50, George Makhobosi, 43, Joseph Mandlathi, 39, and Sibonelo Mlambo, 30, were sentenced at the North West High Court sitting in Klerksdorp on Wednesday.

They were found guilty of killing businessman Abo Kooreshi, 63, at his home in Noordpark, Wolmaransstad, on July 23, 2017. 

Kooreshi was at his home in the evening with his 60-year-old wife and his daughter, 27, when four men forced entry into the house. The men then grabbed the victim and his family and tied them with electric cords, before demanding money. 

It came out during the proceedings that although Kooreshi gave the accused the money that was inside his safe, they demanded more. When they did not get more money, one of them went to the kitchen and came back with a knife which he used to slit Kooreshi's throat in the presence and full view of his wife and daughter.

They ransacked the house and took a laptop, cell phones, as well as jewellery.

The court heard that Kooreshi's daughter gave them her father's bank card and pleaded with them not to kill her and her mother.

They fled the scene with the family's Kia vehicle with Kooreshi's wife and daughter inside. They went to the bank where they withdrew an undisclosed amount of cash before driving to the N12 where they dumped the pair in the veld. 

The family's vehicle was found abandoned 16 kilometers away from Wolmaransstad.

The men were arrested on July 28, 2017.

The four were all sentenced to life imprisonment for murder, 15 years each for armed robbery, five years for kidnapping and three years for theft.

Mlambo was given an additional eight years for the possession of a firearm and one year for the possession of ammunition.

The sentences would run concurrently with the life sentence.

African News Agency (ANA)