Patrick Castle

Patrick Castle (1989 - 2017)

Brief overview:

Patrick (28), a TSU Protection Services Security officer, was shot and killed in a shoot-out, during an armed robbery at the Nyanga Junction Shoprite grocery store in the Western Cape, on 1st May 2017.

Patrick, who had been the first responder to the shooting incident, which lasted forty five minutes, was shot and wounded and passed away later that day in hospital.

A gang of armed men threatened security guards near the entrance of the stored in order to gain access to the store. Once inside, they held security guards, management and staff members hostage. They forced the store manager to open the cash office and took an undisclosed amount of cash, destined for SASSA pay outs. They also took computer equipment, cellular phones and clothing belonging to staff members.

Brief Biography:

• Other Victims/Family
  • Patrick had been married for five years at the time of his death and had one son.
• Funeral/Memorial
• The Street/Suburb
• The Region (Land disputes, other incidents etc.)
  • "Colonel Jam-jam gave a bleak picture on robberies with aggravating factors and murders in the Western Cape. He told the court that there were 2033 robberies with aggravating circumstances involving non-residential premises during the 2017 financial year."
  • "A crime analyst employed by Shoprite told the court that there were 186 armed robberies of Shoprite Stores during the 2017 financial year. As a result of these armed robberies, 8 people were killed. The Western Cape reported the highest number of armed robberies and 62% of fatalities that occurred during that financial year during the armed robberies occurred in the Western Cape province."

Attack Details:

• Date and time of attack
• Weapons
• Items Stolen
• Investigative officer/SAPS Case No:
• Torture, Gratuitous violence
• Indications of Hate Crime? Threats etc.

Perpetrator details:

• Number and Descriptions
• Arrests
• Name/s and age/s of Perpetrator/s
• Country of origin of Perpetrator/s
• Trial/Conviction
  • Mzimasi Marasha, previously a taxi driver in the Eastern Cape, who had been convicted for murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances, illegal possession of a firearm and illegal possession of ammunition, appeared in the Western Cape High Court on 13th August 2021, and sentenced as follows; life imprisonment for the murder of the security guard, Castle, 15 years imprisonment for robbery with aggravating circumstances, 5 years imprisonment for illegal possession of a firearm and 5 years imprisonment for illegal possession of an ammunition.
  • Patrick's sister, Carmelita Dickenson, said the family were relieved that the man who took his life was behind bars for forever. She said they had buried their mother this year, who had not lived to see justice.

Additional Biographical Information:

"The State v Mzimasi Marasha The accused was convicted of robbery with aggravating circumstances, two counts of murder, one count of kidnapping and unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition. On 1 May 2017, the accused, together with several unknown assailants, robbed the Shoprite store at Nyanga Junction on Duinefontein Road in Manenberg. They forced Shoprite employees into submission, assaulted and threatened them with firearms and forcefully took computer equipment, cell phones, clothing, cash and other personal property. During the robbery, Patrick Castle, a male security officer, as well as one of the assailants, was shot and killed. The accused was sentenced to 15 years’ direct imprisonment for robbery with aggravating circumstances, life imprisonment for murder, five years’ direct imprisonment for possession of a firearm and possession of ammunition, and five years’ imprisonment for kidnapping. *https://www.npa.gov.za/sites/default/files/uploads/NPA%20NDPP%20Ann... (NPA report)

Links to Media articles:

• https://archive.is/ZtRt1
• https://www.npa.gov.za/sites/default/files/media-releases/MURDERER%...