Former SAPS officer convicted over Pretoria couple’s murders after luring them to ambush

Two men have been convicted in the Pretoria High Court for a premeditated double murder after luring a couple into a trap and abandoning their children. The National Prosecuting Authority outlined the events that led to the convictions.

Who was convicted

Jacob Mothibe Chego, 41, a former employee of the White River Vehicle Crime Investigation Unit, and Rassie Hlabirwa Nkune, 37, were found guilty on multiple counts including two counts of premeditated murder.

The pair were also convicted on two counts of conspiracy to commit murder, four counts of kidnapping, fraud, and defeating the ends of justice. In addition, Nkune was convicted of two counts of robbery with aggravating circumstances.

How the killings unfolded

According to the NPA, on 16 March 2022 Lucky Mogashoa received a call from Chego saying that a vehicle reported stolen in 2018 had been recovered and was held at the White River police impound.

On the following day, Nkune posed as a police officer and told Mr Mogashoa he would visit the Roodepoort residence to collect documents relating to the recovered vehicle. The documents were handed over, and a meeting was arranged for 19 March 2022 to collect the vehicle from the impound.

On 19 March 2022, Mr Mogashoa, his wife Sabeliwe Zwane, and their two minor children, aged one and eight, travelled to Benoni and collected Nkune at a petrol station. While en route to the White River vehicle impound, the NPA says Nkune instructed Mr Mogashoa at gunpoint to stop in an open veld in Etwatwa, ordered the couple from the vehicle and forced them into the veld.

Nkune then shot both victims in the head while the children remained in the car. After the killings, Nkune returned to the vehicle, drove the children to another nearby area, abandoned them, and fled on foot.

Aftermath and arrests

The eight-year-old took the younger sibling and walked seeking help. While walking along the N12 highway, the children were assisted by a woman who took them to a nearby police station and the incident was reported.

Nkune was arrested while already in custody serving a life sentence for the murder of two women in a separate case. On 16 April 2024, Chego and co-accused Elvis Press Makhubela (now deceased) handed themselves over to police at the Springs police station. They were arrested and released on bail.

In court, both Nkune and Chego pleaded not guilty and denied committing the offences. The Court found that Nkune and Chego had jointly planned and executed the crimes and convicted them on all counts. The matter has been postponed to August 2026 for sentencing proceedings.

Official summary

“On 16 March 2022, Mr Mogashoa received a call from Chego informing him that his vehicle, which had been reported stolen in 2018, had allegedly been recovered and was being held at the White River police vehicle impound,” said NPA spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana.

The NPA’s summary provided the sequence of events that led to the convictions handed down by the Pretoria High Court.