MAN SENTENCED TO TWO LIFE TERMS FOR MURDER AND ROBBERY OF E-HAILING DRIVER
The High Court of South Africa, Eastern Cape Division, sitting in Gqeberha sentenced Bathandwa Jabavu (25), to two life imprisonment terms, after convicting him on a charge of murder and a charge of robbery with aggravating circumstances. Jabavu murdered an e-hailing, Uber driver that he and his accomplices had requested on the e-hailing platform, with the aim of robbing him.
On 17 February 2021, Jabavu, of New Brighton Township in Gqeberha, and his two cohorts hatched a plan to get cash quickly. They agreed that they would summon an Uber taxi under the guise of transporting them and would rob the driver of the vehicle on his arrival. As per their plan, the Uber taxi was requested. As per the norm, a description of the vehicle, its registration number, and description of the driver, accompanied by a picture, was sent to the requesters. The trio cancelled their requests until they found a suitable victim. After numerous cancellations, they decided on confirming a request to Garrison Keeran Snayers to pick them up at Madala Street in New Brighton. The man did not wait in the street but hid themselves until the Uber arrived. They ambushed the driver wielding firearms, and when he tried to escape, they shot him, and he died on the scene. They took money and cellphone and fled the scene on foot.
Police investigations led to the arrest of the three men after the police recovered a cellphone with messages implicating them in the case. One of them, Wandisile Gawu, was killed in an unrelated incident before the beginning of the trial. The other became a state witness, according to Section 204 of the Criminal Procedure Act. His evidence was accepted by the court and, as a result, was granted immunity from prosecution. Arguing for the imposition of an appropriate sentence, State Advocate Sivuyile McKay, asked the court to impose the prescribed minimum sentence because the personal circumstances of the accused did not merit a deviation, and the court agreed.
Eastern Cape Director of Public Prosecutions Barry Madolo commended the prosecutor and the investigating team.
