Remember him, William “King of Bling” Mbatha, only two years ago he was the toast of the town, rubbing shoulders with the likes of US music stars R Kelly and Akon, hosting some of the biggest parties Pretoria has ever seen.
But on Wednesday he finally fell from grace to grass, as he was sentenced to a total of 113 years in jail, he will be serving a mandatory 35 years in prison for crimes he had been convicted of earlier this year before he can granted amnesty.
Mbatha used to be the kingpin of a gang who robbed the homes of wealthy Joburg businessmen. The modus operandi was based on collecting information about his targets and robbing them while pretending to be police officers. The crimes were carried out by the gang wearing police uniforms, producing fake police appointment cards and flashing police blue lights.
Even while facing a hefty jail sentence, Mbatha’s fashion sense did not desert him as he arrived dressed to the nines in a matching tie, jacket and shoes. But it all came crushing down as Acting Judge Naren Pandya handed down the sentence. However, this does not signal the end of his problems as he still faces an array of charges for crimes allegedly committed in Germiston.
He and his cronies were found guilty of crimes including robbery with aggravating circumstances, illegal possession of a firearm, pretending to be a police officer, kidnapping and unlawful wearing of a police uniform.