Two former Transnet employees, Tumelo Mokupi and Lefu Tsiu, will spend the next 15 years behind bars following their sentencing at the regional court in Kimberley for tampering with essential infrastructure.
Lieutenant-Colonel Sergio Kock, spokesperson for police in Kimberley, said in February 2020 the provincial organised crime unit was conducting an investigation at a local scrap metal dealer when two men were spotted in a suspicious VW Polo.
“The vehicle sped off and the chase ensued. The police managed to corner them close to the Kimberley police station. The police searched the boot [of the car] and found 58 copper plates that were stolen from locomotives at Transnet,” said Kock.
Brigadier Johan Myburgh, provincial head for organised crime detectives, commended Warrant Officer Henk van der Merwe for his meticulous investigation which led to the conviction and sentencing of the men.
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