Eastern Cape Court Hands Notorious CIT Robber 180-Year Prison Sentence

• A convicted cash-in-transit (CIT) robber in the Eastern Cape has been jailed to a hefty 180 years after pleading guilty
• The Maloti Regional Court found Ntsindiso Mjikwa guilty on 16 counts before ordering concurrent jail sentences
• Mjikwa and a co-accused, Thandisizwe Balaza, were arrested on 12 March 2021, following a November 2020 incident
• The Hawks' Warrant Officer Ndiphiwe Mhlakuvana told Briefly News Balaza's matter was still before the court

Tshepiso Mametela is a seasoned journalist and the Head of Current Affairs at Briefly News. He reported live from President Cyril Ramaphosa's inauguration and has written articles on politics, crime, courts, accidents, and topics including sports at The Herald and Opera News SA over several years.

EASTERN CAPE — The Maloti Regional Court threw the book at a convicted cash-in-transit (CIT) robber by meting out a hefty sentence for his crimes.

After finding the accused guilty and forgoing a trial based on his plea, the court on Tuesday, 11 March 2025, sentenced Ntsindiso Lovers Mjikwa to 180 years.

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CIT robber feels full might of the law

Mjikwa was indicted on numerous counts of robbery with aggravating circumstances and attempted murder, among others, after his arrest alongside a co-accused, Thandisizwe Balaza, on Friday, 12 March 2021.

The Hawks apprehended Mjikwa in Lusikisiki and Balaza in Kokstad, KwaZulu-Natal. It is unknown how many other suspects were involved.

On 11 November 2020, the duo, who were part of a heavily armed group, attacked then-Cash Paymasters Services (CPS) — placed in final liquidation a month prior on 16 October — and Fidelity Cash Solutions personnel at Bethel Post Office in Maloti, near Matatiele, during a SASSA pension payout.

A shootout ensued and several security were injured. The assailants robbed them of their firearms before fleeing with an undisclosed amount of money.

According to the South African Banking Risk Information Centre (SABRIC), CIT robberies increased in 2020, with a 22% increase from 2019.

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Eastern Cape Hawks spokesperson Warrant Officer Ndiphiwe Mhlakuvana said a rigorous Hawks-led investigation culminated in the two arrests.

In response to a Briefly News inquiry, Mhlakuvana said the former was remanded in custody since his arrest.

"Meanwhile, the court later granted his co-accused R1,000 bail. Mjikwa made several appearances until his sentencing," he said.

Mjikwa was convicted on 16 counts and received a hefty sentence amounting to a combined 180 years behind bars, including 15 years for conspiracy to commit robbery with aggravating circumstances.

He received 15 years on each of five counts of robbery, 15 years on each of five counts of possession of unlicensed firearm and ammunition, and 10 years each on two counts of attempted murder.

He was handed an additional 15 years for theft of a motor vehicle, five years for kidnapping and two years for malicious property damage.

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The court ordered counts two to 16 to run concurrently to count one, conspiracy to commit robbery, for an effective 15-year sentence.

Alaska court jails SA man to 226 years

In a related story, Briefly News reported that an SA man, originally from Komani (formerly Queenstown), Eastern Cape, was on Friday, 12 July 2024, sentenced to 226 years in jail, including for the murders of two Alaskan women.

Brian Steven Smith was convicted on 14 counts, including murder, sexual assault and misconduct involving a corpse, on 14 February 2024.

Source: Briefly News