MKHUHLU – The Pretoria High Court have sentenced two young men who are residents of the Far North region to four life term imprisonment for various counts that include murder, kidnapping, rape, robbery and possession of an unlicensed fire-arm.

Happy Nkuma and Thulani Silinda, both 25, were each sentenced to four life terms in jail plus another term of 15 years each for crimes they committed. Capt Moatshe Ngoepe, the Lowveld Police spokesperson said it was a fair sentence and that the culprits deserve it. "Those two killers arrived at a petrol filling station in October 1999 near Bushbuckridge and demanded money from the women and two male attendants at gun-point. They grabbed R200 and then forced three women into the nearby bushes, where they raped them repeatedly. They then shot and killed the three women and ran away," Ngoepe said.

He expressed satisfaction at the way the High Court showcased its duty and stated that those huge sentences would serve as a deterrent to all who are still committing similar offences and it would also send an open message to all culprits or criminals that crime does not pay.