Eight Marikana men found guilty of murdering a Rustenburg Municipal Councillor, Sabata Chale in 2016, have been sentenced to 20 years imprisonment.
The accused appeared in the North West High Court sitting in Mogwase.
Heading to prison as they start their 20 year sentence, the eight pleaded for leniency explaining that they have families to support but Judge Ronald Hendricks remained resolute.
They were found guilty of murdering Chale over the allocation of low-cost RDP houses in Marikana.
His family welcomed the sentence.
His mother Joyce Chale says:”I am happy to know these men are behind bars because all this time they’ve been saying they didn’t know my child, whom they killed so brutally, yet they knew him when they killed him. I am satisfied.”
Meanwhile, one of the men who were acquitted earlier intends challenging the sentence.
Former fellow accused Napoleon Webster says:”The police did not investigate the crime, instead they used the crime to try and deal with activists within Marikana. We are intending to take this matter to the appeal court.”
The sentence takes effect immediately.
