The Free State Provincial Serial Electronic Crime Investigation (SECI) Unit has dismantled a criminal syndicate responsible for a wave of violent offenses across the Lejweleputswa District, with two key members now convicted.
For over ten years, the syndicate targeted residents in Virginia, Welkom, and Odendaalsrus, committing house robberies, housebreaking, attempted murder, and rape.
The breakthrough came through the work of Sergeant Mosiuwa Ntholeng of the SECI Unit and Sergeant Jack Salemane of the Bultfontein Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) Unit. Their collaborative efforts led to the conviction of the syndicate’s alleged mastermind, Richard Bongani Mazibuko, who was sentenced in 2025 on 12 counts of rape. DNA evidence processed during the investigation into various robberies positively linked Mazibuko to the victims.
A second suspect, 42-year-old Finane Thulo, was traced to Butterworth Prison in the Eastern Cape, where he was already in custody on separate armed robbery charges. Through an identity parade and investigation into the group’s modus operandi, investigators linked Thulo to six incidents of housebreaking and robbery between 2011 and 2019.
Thulo appeared in the Virginia Regional Court, where he was found guilty. Working alongside Prosecutor Labuschagne, the team secured a sentence of 38 years’ imprisonment, with Thulo serving an effective 10 years.
The SAPS Provincial SECI Unit stated that the investigation continues, with several suspects linked to the syndicate still at large. The unit is led by Sergeant Ntholeng.