Police killer and robber handed hefty sentence

The high court has thrown the book at a police killer already serving a 25-year jail sentence for attempting to kill Johannesburg metro police department (JMPD) officers.

The high court in Johannesburg sentenced Akim Phathisani Masuku, 33, on Friday. Masuku faced charges ranging from murder to theft of firearms, house robbery and illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition.

JMPD officers arrested Masuku in November 2016 for robbery, attempted murder of JMPD officers and possession of an unlicensed firearm as ammunition. The high court handed him a 25-year jail sentence in 2017 for those crimes.

When the JMPD officers arrested Masuku, they found him in possession of a service firearm belonging to a deceased police sergeant killed in Ebony Park. 

In the Ebony Park incident, Hawks spokesperson Col Philani Nkwalase said two detectives stationed at Ivory Park’s community service centre were attacked by an armed group of suspects. He said the two sergeants were on duty and driving an unmarked police vehicle around Ebony Park on April 2 2016.

“Their service firearms were taken during the robbery, Sgt Tshifhiwa Manyuwa was shot dead on the crime scene and Sgt Manyane sustained injuries and survived,” he said.

Nkwalase said the Hawks’ serious organised crime investigation team linked Masuku to another a housebreaking incident in Thembisa South on March 23 2016.

“Two armed suspects entered a makeshift house, fired several shots and robbed two occupants of their belongings before leaving. However, nobody was injured.”

The high court handed Masuku a life sentence for the murder of a police officer, 10 years behind bars for attempting to kill another police officer and 15 years for robbery using firearms.

The court also slapped him with a six-year prison sentence for illegal possession of firearms and added a two-year sentence for illegal possession of ammunition.

“Meanwhile, in another incident, Masuku was further sentenced to 15 years' imprisonment for house robbery and robbery of cellphones and five years' imprisonment for attempted murder. A further five years was handed down to him for possession of firearm and additional two years for possession of ammunition,” Nkwalase said.

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