VUYO MKIZE
HE WENT from selling food at a railway station to a man whose lavish and flamboyant lifestyle earned him the name the “King of Bling”.
Born and bred in Atteridgeville, near Pretoria, William Mbatha’s meteoric yet short-lived rise to wealth was anything but conventional.
Having only a Grade 11 education, he managed not only to start a close corporation, but also became a shareholder in the Ram Square Café in Atteridgeville and owned seven minibus taxis.
“He used to import and buy designer label clothing and sold the clothing to the public. As a hobby, he bought luxury motor vehicles and would resell them at a higher price.
This hobby, however, developed into a lucrative venture,” his defence lawyer Francois Roets told the Johannesburg High Court in mitigation of sentence yesterday.
Earlier this month, Mbatha, 38, was convicted on five counts of robbery with aggravating circumstances, four counts of illegal possession of firearms, three counts of kidnapping, three counts of impersonating a police officer and three counts of unlawful possession of a police uniform.
He was convicted for operating a blue-light gang that terrorised businessmen in Joburg in 2009. Two of these businessmen have testified how they were followed home and then had plastic bags placed over their heads, until they surrendered thousands of rands in cash. The victims were also robbed of cash and luxury items including watches and laptops.
Mbatha, who is married with two children, owns a house in Irene, Centurion, where his family still reside.
“His wife is presently running Ram Square Café, which was transferred into her name before his incarceration. From this enterprise she gets a net R8 000.
“The amount generated is totally inadequate to meet the family’s financial obligations. Since his incarceration, the accused lost almost everything but for the property they still have,” Roets explained.
State advocate Elise le Roux argued that Mbatha’s personal circumstances did not outweigh the amount of trauma suffered by his victims and the crimes he had committed.
“These crimes were committed out of greed. He built his wealth and empire on other people’s sorrow and loss,” she said.
Sentencing was postponed until April 11.