Fifteen years for suspects who took KZN e-hailing driver on a four-hour terror ride

Durban: An e-hailing driver, who was robbed and beaten by men posing as passengers, hopes their time in jail would help them rehabilitate.

Ikram Singh, 47, of Chatsworth, was taken on a four-hour terror ride in September 2019.

He was the first of two victims robbed at gunpoint by Simphiwe Brian Wanda and Mnqobi Harry Mshibe of Ntuzuma.

The second victim was Menzi Muzi Khumalo, a consultant for a watch company, who was doing a delivery in Ntuzuma two weeks later.

Following investigations, both accused were arrested and charged with two counts of armed robbery.

In the Ntuzuma Magistrate's Court, Magistrate E La Grange sentenced the accused to 15 years’ imprisonment on each count. Mshibe was handed a further five years for possession of a stolen firearm and possession of ammunition.

It emerged during the trial that while in Morningside, Singh received a request for a pickup from Umgeni Road. He then picked up two passengers, one of whom sat in the front and the other at the back. Their destination was a taxi rank in Ntuzuma.

While en-route, one of the passengers asked Singh to stop at a garage so he could withdraw cash from the ATM. While driving, they asked Singh to deviate from the route. At that point, the passenger in the back pointed a gun at Singh's head.

Both men then assaulted Singh and robbed him of his wallet and a licensed firearm. They told him to get into the back seat, while one of the accused took control of the vehicle.

Singh was taken on a terror ride for four hours. He was repeatedly beaten.

At one point, they asked Singh for his bank card PIN. They then withdrew R1 000. They abandoned the vehicle when the car ran out of petrol. Singh then went to the nearest police station to report the incident.

Two weeks later, the second incident took place.

Khumalo, a consultant for a watch company, had a delivery in Ntuzuma. While there, the two accused accosted him and robbed him of 63 watches and two cellphones.

With Khumalo's help, the police later tracked one of the suspects to his home. They found two of the stolen watches and the victim's cellphone.

The first suspect led the police to the second suspect's home where more watches were found. The second cellphone, which also belonged to the Khumalo, was recovered.

A firearm was also found. It was later ascertained that it belonged to Singh.

Both suspects were then positively identified by Singh and linked to both matters.

After the trial, Wanda was found guilty of armed robbery in both cases, while Mshibe was found guilty on all four counts.

According to the probation officer's report, which recorded interviews from both victims, they were left emotionally scarred.

Singh said he had become scared and angry.

"After the incident, he became violent towards his family members and displayed signs of anger. He explained that he couldn't sleep sometimes because of nightmares. He is always anxious and explains he is not coping. During the interview, the victim was emotional and shaking."

The probational officer referred Singh for in-depth counselling.

In an interview with Khumalo, the report said: "He explained that the incident had traumatised him to a point where he was even unable to sleep due to the nightmares."

In aggravation of sentence, Kaystree Ramsamujh, the regional court prosecutor, submitted that the matter was serious and prevalent.

"Business people should not be afraid to go out and earn a living."

She said Singh remained traumatised by the incident.

Ramsamujh argued that Singh did not make a mistake after identifying the robbers. She said Singh had spent many hours with them in the vehicle.

Ramsamujh said there were no substantial and compelling circumstances to deviate from the prescribed minimum sentence.

"The accused did not have an iota of remorse and was still clinging to hopes of innocence and denial of the offences and this does not augur well for their reformation and rehabilitation into society."

Singh told the POST the sentencing would give both accused time to think about what they have done.

"In the future, they will possibly refrain from doing the same thing to other innocent people. Hopefully, they can rehabilitate. I know what I have experienced and I don't want anyone else to go through this."

He said the ordeal had been harrowing and that it took a toll on him and his family.

"It has been stressful for us. We live in constant fear of going out."

Singh, who worked full-time as a bus driver for a community transport business, said he started the job as an Uber driver to make additional money.

He said after the incident, he could not bring himself to drive and he now only worked in the bus depot.

Singh said he tried to get back into e-hailing but there was constant paranoia.

"I often accept pick-up requests but when I get to the destination and see anyone that looks like the suspects, I become scared and I drive away."

He said it had not only affected his income but his self-esteem.

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