33-year-old Arkim Phathisani Masuku was given a hefty sentence when he appeared in the Southern Gauteng High Court on 2 June 2023. He was facing an assortment of charges that include police murder, two counts of attempted murder, robbery of firearms, house robbery, illegal possession of firearm and ammunition.
Masuku was arrested by the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) on charges of robbery, attempted murder of JMPD officials and possession of unlicensed firearm as well as ammunition in November 2016. He was subsequently sentenced to 25 years direct imprisonment on 29 August 2017 for the JMPD matter.
On his arrest, he was found in possession of a service firearm belonging to a deceased police Sergeant who was killed around Ebony Park.
Two police detectives stationed at Ivory Park's Community Service Centre of the South African Police Service (SAPS) were attacked by group of unknown suspects armed with firearms. The two sergeants were on duty driving an unmarked police vehicle around Ebony Park on 2 April 2016. Their service firearms were taken during the robbery, Sergeant Tshifhiwa Manyuwa was shot and killed on the crime scene and Sergeant Manyane sustained injuries and survived.
The Johannesburg based Hawks' Serious Organised Crime Investigation team also linked Masuku to another incident of house breaking in Tembisa South which occurred on 23 March 2016. Two armed suspects entered into a makeshift-house (shack), fired several shots and robbed two occupants of their belongings before leaving, however nobody was injured.
The South Gauteng High Court sentenced him to life imprisonment for murder of a police official, ten (10) years imprisonment for attempted murder of police official, fifteen (15) years imprisonment for robbery of service firearms. He was also sentenced to six (6) years imprisonment for possession firearm and two (2) years imprisonment for possession of ammunition.
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Meanwhile on another incident, Masuku was further sentenced to fifteen (15) years imprisonment for house robbery and robbery of cell phones, five (5) years imprisonment for attempted murder. A further five (5) years was handed down to him for possession of firearm and additional two (2) years for possession of ammunition.
The Provincial Head of the Hawks in Gauteng, Major General Ebrahim Kadwa extolled both the investigation and prosecution teams for the successful conviction and a fitting sentence. Major General Kadwa also said "This sentence will serve as a deterrent to those criminals that attack the police who duly perform a role of a peace officer."
