The Mokopane Regional Court has sentenced 42-year-old William Mthombothi to 15 years of direct imprisonment for his role in a business robbery that took place at the Exact Clothing Store in Mokopane over a decade ago.
The sentence was handed down on 12 March 2026. Mthombothi was convicted for the incident which occurred on 5 May 2014.
According to the police report, at approximately 17:05 on the day of the incident, the store manager and her colleagues were preparing to close the shop when three unknown male suspects entered. The suspects threatened the employees with a firearm and ordered them to lie on their stomachs. They were then locked inside a storeroom while the suspects stole their personal cellphones.
The perpetrators also made off with clothing and shoes valued at approximately R21,000, as well as R12,000 in cash, before fleeing the scene. No injuries were reported.
The breakthrough in the cold case came through forensic evidence. Mthombothi was positively linked to the crime through fingerprint analysis, which led to the issuing of a warrant for his arrest.
He was apprehended on 3 October 2025 in Komatipoort while attempting to cross the border into Mozambique. Mthombothi made his first court appearance on 6 October 2025, where he was denied bail.