Hijacked man in boot for 17hrs
2004-10-11 20:18
Nelspruit - Three men were jailed on Monday for hijacking a man in Pretoria, locking him in the car boot and driving about 400km to Matsulu, near Nelspruit in Mpumalanga.
The victim, Simon Sipho Mahlangu, was attacked in Silverton on May 30 2002 and kept locked in the boot for about 17 hours until he managed to escape while his abductors slept.
He alerted police, who arrested Khizitho Simelane, 29, Mpho Mthimunye, 31, and Simon Mahlangu, 28.
The three men initially pleaded not guilty to charges of kidnapping, armed robbery and the unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition.
But Simelane later changed his plea to guilty.
On Monday, they were each sentenced in Nelspruit regional court to 15 years' for hijacking, three years' for possession of firearms and ammunition and three years' for kidnapping.
Because he pleaded guilty, Simelane's sentences will run concurrently, while the other two will serve a total of 21 years each.