The pair, Harrison Mashigo (22) and Linda Mashinini (29), both from Wattville, were sentenced to a combined 44 years in the Vosloorus Magistrates Court on October 7.
Magistrate Sijren Harichand presided over the case and prosecutor Leon Naude represented the state.
They were charged with eight counts each; and while Mahlangu was found guilty on all eight charges, Mashinini was convicted only on four of them (count 1, 2, 6 and 8).
The duo pleaded not guilty on all the charges on February 11, but the court found them guilty as charged and sentenced them on October 8.
They faced the following charges:
- Robbery with aggravating circumstances for intentionally and unlawfully assaulting Deon and forcefully taking his car worth R200 000, and using a firearm on February 13 (count 2)
- Two charges of attempted murder for shooting Deon and his son, Dylan (count 3)
- Pointing of firearm (count 4)
- Possession of an illegal firearm (count 5)
- Possession of ammunition (count 6)
- Fraud – this is after they fitted the wrong registration number plates on Deon’s car after stealing it (count 7)
- The two men faced another robbery with aggravating circumstances charge after they hijacked a VW Polo belonging to a Chinese man only known as Ushon a few days before they attacked the Burger family.
They also robbed him of three cellphones, a bag of clothes, his driver’s licence, a computer and jewellery worth R110 000 (count 1).
Mashinini was sentenced to 15 years on count 1, nine years on count 2, five years on count 3, five years on count 4, five years on count five, 15 years on count 6, five years on count 7 and three years on count 8.
The magistrate ordered that count 1, 4, 5, 7 and 8, and half the sentence on count 2, run concurrently. This means he received an effective 24 and half years in prison. He has a previous conviction of theft in 2009.
Mashigo was sentenced to 15 years on count 1, 9 years on count 2, 15 years on count 6, and 3 years on count 8.
The magistrate ordered that the sentences on count 1 and 8, and half of count 2, run concurrently.
Mashigo will serve an effective 19 and half years behind bars. He has a previous conviction of robbery in 2011 and one of reckless and negligence driving in 2012.
A few days after the incident, Dylan Burger then 17-years-old, told the Advertiser of his heroic act to save his father.
He said that he was getting ready for school when he saw two men trying to hijack his father.
“I heard the vehicle’s hooter and broke our lounge window to get to my dad.”
He says that he had a baseball bat with him and when the two men saw him, they ran, with Dylan chasing after them.
“I hit one of the men over the head and that is when the shots went off. They told me there were four shots fired, but I can only remember
two.”
Dylan was shot in the leg.
Deon’s wife, Magda, spoke to the Advertiser following the incident.
She said that when she saw what was going on, she pressed the panic button for their security company.
“When I went outside my son was in the park, and my husband was lying in our driveway.”
She adds that one of the suspects had escaped into a neighbour’s garden and the neighbour caught the suspect and brought him to the scene.
“Our neighbours have been very helpful to us during this time, with one of our neighbours helping to repair our broken window.”
On Thursday, February 20, 2014, the doctors at the Union Hospital started waking Deon up from his sedation.
“They have had to remove three quarters of his lung, but we, and our neighbours, are praying for my husband,” Magda said.
The Advertiser understands that Deon and his son have since recovered.
Also read:
Dylan tells of his heroic act to save his father | Boksburg Advertiser
