Three Cape Flats community leaders, including former gangster Rashied Staggie, were effectively jailed for 13 years on Wednesday for a burglary at the Faure police armoury six years ago.
Staggie, Roland Olince and Charles Benjamin were sentenced by Bellville Regional Court magistrate Andre le Grange.
The magistrate dismissed as ”too harsh and unreasonable” calls by prosecutor Shireen Riley for minimum sentences of 20 years for the three.
As a measure of mercy, he said, Staggie’s sentence will run concurrently with the 15 years he got last year in the Cape High Court for rape.
This means that once the 15 years for rape is served, the 13 years for the burglary will be considered served as well.
In the rape case, Staggie was given leave to appeal and released on bail pending the outcome. He had to file his appeal papers within a number of weeks of being released on bail.
But it has transpired that he has not yet filed the rape appeal papers, which may mean his appeal has lapsed.
Of the eight men involved in the burglary, former policeman Roderick Collins got the heaviest sentence of 15 years.
Le Grange said Collins had abused his position of trust, and as a policeman had obtained crucial information about the armoury, needed to plan the burglary.
Collins said severe financial problems had caused his involvement in the incident — he had to repay R15 000 he received as backpay, after a mistaken promotion, and in the process of repaying he sometimes went home with only 50 cents of his salary.
However, Le Grange dismissed this as a reason and said there are other legal means of making money.
Le Grange said the purpose of the burglary had been to distribute stolen police weaponry among different gangs, at a time when gang warfare on the Cape Flats was at its worst.
Le Grange said the distribution of police arms and ammunition on the Cape Flats could have caused a civil war.
The eight men had faced seven charges relating to the stolen weaponry, including the double offence of housebreaking and theft, charged as the main count.
Only one of the eight, Daniel O’Connel, was found guilty on all seven counts, including housebreaking and theft. O’Connel was also effectively jailed for 13 years.
Ricardo Adams, who had no part in the burglary itself but bought a large number of the stolen arms and ammunition for resale on the Cape Flats, was effectively jailed for 12 years.
Transport contractor Abdul Ganief and Graham Greentree, who also did not take part in the actual burglary, each got 10 years — Ganief for possession of a large quantity of arms and ammunition, and Greentree for possession, concealing and the distribution of the booty.
The sentence was welcomed by Western Cape provincial community safety minister Leonard Ramatlakane.
He said sentencing of high-profile gang figures such as Staggie is a signal that the province’s integrated approach to crime fighting, which has brought together the police, the justice department and the directorate of public prosecutions, is making inroads on ”high flyer” crimes.
”Staggie is but one of many of those ‘untouchables’ whom the integrated team from the different law enforcement units has targeted,” he said.
”I hope that the communities of the Cape Flats will have some sleep now that one of the most notorious former gang leaders has been sent to jail for some time.” — Sapa