A need to feed his drug habit and provide for his unborn child were just some of the reasons given for Sizwe Jika’s housebreaking spree across Port Elizabeth in 2018.
As he was sentenced to an effective 16 years’ jail by the Port Elizabeth Regional Court on Tuesday, he did not flinch.
The scars on his face tell the story of a tough upbringing and a lifetime of crime, making him seem a lot older than his 26 years.
But while he finally gave the court a glimpse into his childhood, of how he and his four older siblings had pretty much raised themselves when their domestic worker mother was unable to do so, his poor socioeconomic conditions did not stop a magistrate from handing down a harsh penalty.
Had the homeowners been present when Jika broke into their houses between March and June 2018, they might have suffered the same fate as the three Port Elizabeth women he is alleged to have murdered in broad daylight.
New mother Kelly Bain, 26, of Brymore, Ann Ferreira, 83, of Summerstrand, and Ann Smit, 86, of Kamma Park, were all brutally murdered – allegedly by Jika – during housebreakings around the same period in 2018.
A trial date for the murders has not yet been set.
In sentencing Jika on Tuesday, magistrate Nolitha Bara said while in this case the homeowners had been out at the time of the break-ins, the most heinous crimes were often committed when the thief bumped into a person inside the house.
Bara said with high walls and fences, people were forced to live like prisoners inside their own homes.
Jika had pleaded guilty on Monday to six counts of housebreaking with intent to steal and theft, one of which dated as far back as January 2011.
He said he had dropped out of school in grade 9 due to financial difficulties.
His dad died when he was six and his sleep-in domestic worker mother could not always care for him and his siblings so they were often handed to relatives or friends.
It was not a good environment, he said, and he struggled to find a proper job. His mother died when he was 12 and he eventually turned to drugs.
State prosecutor Benedict Wilson highlighted Jika’s string of previous convictions.
In July 2007, at the age of 14, Jika was convicted on two counts of housebreaking.
He was given a suspended sentence on condition that he complete a rehabilitation programme.
In June 2012, he was convicted on a further eight counts of housebreaking and sentenced to two years in prison.
Then, shortly after being released, he committed another housebreaking, and in 2015 was sentenced to undergo a further five years in jail.
In November 2016, he was sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment for escaping from lawful custody.
Bara said while the court needed to be conscious about how an offender had been brought up, Jika’s behaviour could in no way be condoned.
“There are many people who come from nothing and work themselves up to being professionals without committing crime,” she said.
Giving the reason behind the spate of housebreakings, Jika said his first child had been due in December and he had wanted to provide for his baby.
From Summerstrand to Glen Hurd and Westering, Jika effortlessly gained entry to each home, stealing items with a combined value of more than R300,000.
“Looking at what was stolen [jewellery and electronics], it is clear that he stole for personal gain,” Bara said.
She said it was not a situation where Jika had stolen food to eat.
Sentimental items such as a Kruger pendant and diamond rings – all pawned by Jika after the thefts – could never be replaced.
She said Jika had been offered an opportunity in 2011 to learn life skills and how to stay away from crime, but this had clearly not been a deterrent.
“It is clear that the minute he finishes a sentence and is out again, that he simply commits another crime.
“He has a habit of breaking into people’s homes.”
In addition, Bara said, she did not consider it to be a mitigating factor that Jika had pleaded guilty.
Had his fingerprints not been found at the crime scenes, he would have likely continued on his criminal path.