A 19-year-old man convicted of malicious damage to property for damaging three SABC News vehicles and several others in Vuwani during former President Jacob Zuma’s visit last year has been sentenced to nine years imprisonment.
Residents went on a rampage after they learnt that the former President who was in Vuwani to resolve the municipal boundary dispute left without addressing them. They damaged SABC, police and private vehicles with stones.
Five people were captured on SABC video cameras while damaging the vehicles and charging towards SABC TV cameraman.
Brigadier Motlafela Mojapelo says Ridovhona Tshiwandalani and three others have been on trial since last year.
“The Vuwani Regional Court has on Monday sentenced the 19 year-old accuse to an effective nine years imprisonment without an option of a fine for the public violence that took place soon after the gathering that took place in Vuwani during May 2017. The accused was earlier convicted of malicious damage to property after several vehicles and ablution facilities were damaged. Other accused have been indicted to stand trial in the same court next month,” says Mojapelo.
