Two Durban men who wounded bystanders during a pension payout robbery were jailed for more than 70 years.
|||Pietermaritzburg - Two Durban men who wounded bystanders during a pension payout robbery were jailed for more than 70 years in the Pietermaritzburg High Court on Wednesday.
Acting Judge M Hadebe said the pair used excessive violence to achieve their goals and their crimes were brazen.
Eric Malinga, 27, was given three 15-year sentences for aggravated robberies, and Thami Msobe, 28, received two 15-year terms for robberies.
Hadebe said the pension heist, in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands in June 2008, during which more than R700 000 stolen, was well-planned.
The pair were convicted of 10 counts of attempted murder for shooting at policemen, Cash Paymaster Services personnel, pensioners and other bystanders. Two people were wounded.
They received five years for each of these counts. These sentences would run concurrently.
Hadebe said they had been working before their crimes and were not driven by harsh economic circumstances. - Sapa
