Botho Molosankwe
WILLIAM “King of Bling” Mbatha’s efforts to avoid conviction on 24 counts came to naught in the Johannesburg High Court yesterday.
He is accused of robbery with aggravating circumstances, kidnapping, impersonating a police officer, the unlawful possession of a police uniform, and the unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition.
During the proceedings, Mbatha could not tell the court where he had been on the days and at the times the crimes he is accused of were committed.
He maintained that he had forgotten, and his alibi submission was dismissed.
Yesterday, acting Judge Naren Pandya found that Mbatha and his accomplices were armed during the crimes, but there was no evidence that the guns were loaded.
The judge found that Mbatha and his cohorts had dressed in police uniforms, had driven a car fitted with blue lights and had placed a plastic bag over their victims’ faces before robbing them.
Mbatha is the only gang member who has been caught.
As he sat in the dock, feet shackled and with eight armed officers guarding him, he was a far cry from the flashy man whose pictures of himself at lavish parties had circulated on the internet.
State prosecutor Ilze le Roux said she was not going to give evidence in aggravation of sentence. Sentencing is expected on March 15.