Cape Town man gets 12 years in jail for robbing ambulance crew at gunpoint

In the Wynberg Regional Court on Tuesday,Zikhumbule Condana was sentenced to an effective 12 years’ imprisonment.

Lisalee Solomons/News24

A 21-year-old man has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for robbing an ambulance crew at gunpoint in Browns Farm,Philippi,earlier this year.

Zikhumbule Condana and an accomplice targeted the crew in January.

At the time,the paramedics were responding to a call and checking directions on their GPS device.

The crew members were not harmed in the robbery.

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In the Wynberg Regional Court on Tuesday,Condana was sentenced to an effective 12 years’ imprisonment.

The accomplice is still at large.

READ | Justice for MPs but not for us: Grieving Philippi families slam police priorities

The Community Policing Forum (CPF) welcomed the sentence and said it should serve as a warning to other young people involved in crime.

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“Many young boys get away with crime and think it will always be like that,” CPF chairperson Ntlantla Kameteni said.

“The police must be congratulated for completing their investigation quickly and ensuring justice was served within a year.”

Police management in the Western Cape also welcomed the conviction.

Sergeant Wesley Twigg said “the sentence serves as a warning to other criminals targeting EMS personnel and preventing them from reaching vulnerable communities”.