MALUTI MAGISTRATE SENTENCES BONGANI NKALITSHANA TO TWO YEARS FOR UNLAWFULLY ESCAPE FROM CUSTODY
He was arrested for kidnapping a lady teacher in Maluti, he escaped from police cells and rearrested after kidnapping another lady teacher.
The Maluti Magistrate court sentenced an escapee wanted in Maluti to two years in imprisonment after he was re-arrested by a task team of police officers on Friday. Bongani Nkalitshana escaped from Maluti police cells last November together with other four trial awaiting prisoners who are still at large. Nkalitshana was facing charges for Kidnapping, Robbery and attempted murder.
Information Received led the police task team to the mountainous area in Matatiele during the early hours of Friday morning. The 32 year old Nkalitshana was arrested while hiding deep in the mountains. He was found in possession of stolen property that include cell phone, laptop, and the vehicle keys.
He appeared before the magistrate court of Maluti on Monday (6). The magistrate gave him a chance to solicit a legal representative and a State Attorney was available and represented him. He told the court that he escaped from police cells because he was ill-treated by a police officer.
The prosecutor told him that his reasons of escape cannot be discussed in the court because he did not report the illtreatment to the authorities therefore he need to be sentenced. The magistrate told him that by escaping from the holding cells he endangered the lives of the police officers who were on duty on that day. He was then sentenced to two years imprisonment for unlawfully escaping from the police custody.
Nkalitshana is going to appear before the magistrate court of Matatiele on Tuesday to face other charges of Kidnapping, attempted murder and theft of motor vehicle.
It is alleged that on 14 January 2023 at about 02:30 , Nkalitshana broke into a house in Dark City location in Matatiele and accosted the 36 year old complainant. The complainant is also a lady teacher. She was stabbed multiple times, dragged into her vehicle and driven to Mvenyane Forest approximately 50km away and further assaulted.
At about 06:00, a hunter found them and after questioning the suspect, the suspect drove off in the complainant’s car leaving her behind. Her vehicle was found locked and abandoned about 35 km’s away.
She was taken to hospital for treatment.
