Durban - A man who committed several house robberies was sentenced to 22 years imprisonment by the Pietermaritzburg Regional Court.
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson Natasha Ramkisson-Kara, said Nhlanhla Dladla was sentenced after he pleaded guilty to three counts of housebreaking with intent to steal, three counts of theft, housebreaking with intent to rob, robbery and unlawful possession of a firearm.
She said the robberies occurred between January and February 2022.
Ramkisson-Kara said the accused went on a stealing spree breaking into houses in the Allandale area of Pietermaritzburg.
“He stole valuables such as cellphones, jewellery, sunglasses and brassware. In one instance he threatened a woman with a knife before making off with her two cellphones.
“He also broke into one house on two separate occasions,” she said.
According to the NPA, Dladla further pleaded guilty to a January 2021 incident where he was in unlawful possession of a firearm.
Regional Court prosecutor Rene Padayachee asked the court to impose a strict sentence to send out the necessary deterrent message.
“While Dladla was sentenced to 43 years imprisonment in total, the court ordered that some sentences run concurrently with others, resulting in the effective sentence of 22 years,” said Ramkisson-Kara.
He was also declared unfit to possess a firearm, she added.
“The NPA commends the work of the prosecution and the SAPS in contributing to this successful prosecution. We will continue to vigorously prosecute matters of this nature. We have embarked on a housebreaking project which aims to increase feelings of safety and security among South Africans,” said Ramkisson-Kara.