The man known as the Sasko Truck robbery kingpin must be sentenced to five life imprisonment.
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) argued that the High Court of South Africa, Western Cape (WC) Division, sentenced murderer, Ayanda Dayi, to five life sentences and seventy-five years direct imprisonment when it hands down a sentence next week following his conviction for a spree of gruesome crimes he committed.
The circuit court sitting at the Wynberg Regional Court convicted Dayi on four counts of murder, one count of attempted murder, two counts of robbery with aggravating circumstances, a count of theft, three counts of illegal possession of firearms and three counts of illegal possession of ammunition.
WC NPA Spokesperson, Eric Ntabazalila said Dayi’s conviction follows a successful prosecution that was meticulously put together by Senior State Advocate Esna Erasmus in collaboration with investigating officer Lieutenant Colonel Pretorius, who even used facial recognition technology to link the accused to these crimes.
This case sent shock waves throughout the country after footage of three men in a Sasko bread truck was shot at point-blank range while delivering bread at a spaza shop in Symphony Way, Delft on the morning of 16 May 2024.
Dayi’s spate of gruesome crimes started on Usasaza Street, Du Noon, on the evening of 24 January 2024, when he and an unknown man fatally shot Eric Yaphi and Elvis Thembelani Cwethiso and robbed them of the vehicle he was driving.
“Police started their investigation and collected four cartridge casings at the scene. On 31 January 2024, police found the vehicle parked at Gushindoda informal settlement, Delft.
The vehicle was locked, and they requested a towing service. When they returned, they found the accused with his stepson in the vehicle. The doors, bonnet and boot were open, and a firearm was on the front passenger seat. The accused escaped after throwing sand in the face of a pursuing police officer,” he said.
Ntabazalila said forensic investigation found that one of the bullets fired during the murders of Yaphi and Cwethiso was fired from the firearm seized from the vehicle.
“The other three came from a different firearm. Dyani’s fingerprints were also found on the vehicle,” he said.
Erasmus also led evidence that on the morning of 16 May 2024, Aphiwe Nogaya and his two colleagues, Xolani Gaji and Cebisile Mfundiso, delivered bread at a spaza shop at the corner of Delft Main Road and Symphony Way.
“He and one of the deceased received money from the shop owner and returned to the truck. They handed the money to the driver, who started counting it as he had to drop it in the safe behind the front seats.
“The accused appeared in front of the truck, pointing a firearm at them. He then moved to the driver’s side and opened the driver’s door. At the same time, another man, now known as Soso, appeared at the passenger side with a firearm. They grabbed the money and a cellular phone. They also searched for firearms, whereafter they brazenly opened fire at the three occupants in the truck. A minimum of 8 shots from the two firearms were fired. Although injured, Nogaya survived the attack, was hospitalised and had to undergo surgery,” said Ntabazalila.
He said surveillance footage, which formed part of the evidence, was played in court and handed in as evidence together with a still photograph.
“On 05 June 2024, Nogaya pointed out the accused in a photo parade and in court as the accused who stood in front of the truck and then went to the driver’s side,” he said.
Ntabazalila said that Erasmus also called Warrant Officer Keyser, a Forensic Analyst who specialises in facial identification, stationed at the South African Police Services Local Criminal Record Centre (LCRC), confirmed through morphological analysis that the accused was the person who stood in front of the bread truck as depicted on the stills and surveillance footage.