15 YEARS’ IMPRISONMENT FOR KIMBERLEY CBD ROBBERY
23 July 2025
15 YEARS’ IMPRISONMENT FOR KIMBERLEY CBD ROBBERY
Kimberley, Northern Cape – The Kimberley Regional Court has sentenced Farook Graham (34) to 15 years of direct imprisonment for Robbery with Aggravating Circumstances, following a violent attack on a 33-year-old man in the Kimberley CBD. The robbery occurred on 1 December 2024, as the unsuspecting victim was on his way to buy groceries. Without warning, Graham and an accomplice launched a brutal assault.
Graham choked the victim, threw him to the ground, and kicked him in the head. While the victim lay incapacitated, Graham searched his pockets and stole R2000 money intended for groceries.
The assailants fled, leaving the victim injured and helpless. However, quick action by members of the public led to Graham’s immediate arrest. His accomplice escaped with the stolen money and the victim’s cellphone. Graham pleaded guilty to the charge. Prosecutor Mothelesi Katlego Thothela, representing the State, argued that the offence fell squarely within the provisions of the Minimum Sentence Act, which prescribes a 15-year sentence for robbery with aggravating circumstances.
The court found no substantial or compelling reasons to depart from the prescribed minimum and imposed the full sentence. The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) welcomes this decisive sentence as a clear and uncompromising message in the ongoing fight against violent crime: there will be no leniency for those who prey on innocent people.
This outcome reaffirms the NPA’s unwavering commitment to upholding justice, restoring public trust, and safeguarding communities by ensuring that violent offenders are relentlessly pursued, prosecuted, and imprisoned. Criminals who believe they can act with impunity must understand there will be consequences.
Issued by:
Mojalefa Senokoatsane
NPA Regional Spokesperson – Northern Cape Division
073 423 3539