A former employee of Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) has been sentenced to 12 years in jail for stealing copper cables worth about R1-million.
The Scottburgh regional court in the south coast of KwaZulu-Natal found Sphiwe Mngadi guilty of tampering with or destroying essential infrastructure in the Mkhomazi area. The crime was committed in April 2018.
Mngadi and his accomplice were cornered by Prasa security guards who were patrolling the rails reserve. When interrogated, Mngadi failed to explain why he was in possession of 192kg of copper rolls.
Prasa said in a statement on Wednesday that the sentence was below the prescribed minimum sentence of 15 years. However, the rail agency said the sentence does still send a message to would-be copper cables thieves.
“Prasa commends the work of the NPA [National Prosecuting Authority], the prosecution team, and the SAPS investigating team for the successful conviction. We also welcome the NPA’s commitment to put more focus on copper cable theft given the critical role that passenger rail plays in our economy,” said the agency.
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