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The Sasolburg Regional Court has sentenced a young Lesotho national, Leona Moleko (23), to a lengthy imprisonment for tampering with essential Transnet infrastructure and stripping copper. The court found the accused guilty of theft and tampering with essential infrastructure, as well as being illegally in South Africa.
The accused’s sentencing on Tuesday, 9 April, was a result of the Welkom Hawks’ Serious Organised Crime Investigation team’s investigation. The incident was reported on 19 February 2022.
WO Fikiswa Matoti, Free State spokesperson of the Hawks, said Moleko was caught red-handed cutting copper cable at the Transnet infrastructure at Wolwehoek in the Zamdela area in the Free State. She said the police found Moleko in possession of the copper cable worth R40 961.12, and that further investigation discovered he entered South Africa illegally.
Matoti said the accused was remanded in custody until his sentencing and was not granted bail because he was a flight risk. “Moleko was sentenced to ten years’ imprisonment for tempering with infrastructure, another ten years imprisonment for theft. He was sentenced to three months’ imprisonment for illegally entering or remaining in the country and was declared unfit to possess a firearm. The sentences will run concurrently,” said Matoti.
Early in March, the Bloemfontein Magistrates’ Court sentenced Emmanuel Moeketsi Sello (41) to effective 15 years’ imprisonment after finding him guilty of damage to essential infrastructure of Centlec in Bloemfontein. The repairs and replacement costs of the stolen copper cable amounted to R256 000.
