'Samaritan' robber gets 127yrs

2007-11-12 08:44

Liela Magnus

Pretoria - A cellphone robber who harassed and robbed students at the University of Pretoria for more than a year, has been sentenced by the Pretoria Regional Court to 127 years in jail.

Thabizo Manzane, 28, was found guilty of eight counts of armed robbery, one of robbery and one count of theft.

He was sentenced to 15 years on each of the armed robbery counts, five years for the robbery and two years for the theft.

The sentences will run concurrently, and Manzane will effectively spend 15 years behind bars.

He was initially linked to nearly 20 cellphone robberies on the UP campus, but was only tried on those where victims had identified him during an identity parade.

Manzane's modus operandi was to ask students for a lift to Sunnyside.

En route, he would talk to the students about the country's crime situation. Then he would whip out a knife and tell the students he was part of a car-hijacking syndicate, but he was only interested in the cellphone of the "good Samaritan".

He would show them a tatoo on his arm as proof that he was part of a syndicate - then take their cellphones and run.

In some cases he had even returned SIM cards to students who asked for them.

Manzane was trapped by an undercover member of the University's security services department, in June 2005.

Colin Fouché, director of the University's department of security services, said a member of his department had worked very hard to help the police catch Manzane.

"We're a non-police insitution that worked on this case day and night. Not even the winning number of the Lotto is important any more now (that we have him)," Fouché said.

Fouché had even consulted advocate Retha Meintjies, SC, Deputy Director of Public Prosecution, for guidance in the case.

"One mustn't forget that the sentence also shows the victims that you can help someone but you must remain vigilant at all times. And, also, that in the end law and order will prevail," Fouché said.

- Beeld