The Bethulie regional court in the Free state on Wednesday sentenced three men to 30 years imprisonment each for damage to infrastructure and theft.
Patrick Chirambandare, 34, Washington Khoza, 32, and Cliff Hove, 28, were sentenced to 15 years each for tampering with a Vodacom tower near Springfontein and another 15 years for stealing the cellular operator’s 12 Narada batteries valued at R78 000.
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson Phaladi Shuping said: “On 09 June 2021, the police were called to an incident close to N1, where there was a signal of a break-in at two cellphone towers.
“The police, together with private security, found the accused at the scene and recovered batteries, and seized a white Toyota bakkie that was used in the commission of the crime. They [the suspects] were arrested and the case was handed to the provincial organised crime for investigations.”
State prosecutor Leon Ehlers asked the court to impose harsh punishment on the accused, arguing that damage to infrastructure impacted the lives of South Africans.
“The NPA has classified damage to infrastructure as one of the priority crimes because of the prevalence of these crimes in the province, and they have a serious impact on the lives of South Africans. For that, we call upon the court to impose harsh punishment on the accused,” said Ehlers.
He added that the accused failed to show remorse, arguing that their chances of rehabilitation were slim. “The imposition of harsh punishment on the accused will send a message to like-minded people that the courts will not tolerate their criminal actions.”
Meanwhile, two copper cable thieves were nabbed in Kroonstad, also in the Free State on Wednesday. The two suspects, a 29-year-old man and a 38-year-old woman were arrested by members of the Kroonstad Highway Patrol during a roadblock.
Police spokesperson Captain Malebo Khosana explained: “The members alleged that they were conducting the VCP [vehicle check-point] operation when a Toyota Quantum stopped before it could reach the location where members were setting up the roadblock and immediately made a U-turn. The vigilant members followed the taxi and stopped it.”
Khosana added that upon inspection, the police discovered that the vehicle was loaded with cut Transnet overhead copper cables worth more than R60 000.
The pair is expected to appear at the Kroonstad magistrate’s court on Friday on a charge of possession of suspected stolen property.
Follow @SundayWorldZA on Twitter and @sundayworldza on Instagram, or like our Facebook Page, Sunday World, by clicking here for the latest breaking news in South Africa. To Subscribe to Sunday World, click here.
