The Bloemfontein regional court has handed two men effective sentences of 25 years' imprisonment each after finding them guilty of damaging essential infrastructure and theft.
Tumisang Sello Khosi, 31, and Pitso Donald Molalenyane, 34, were arrested in November 2022 after they were found with stolen panels from a Centlec substation. Centlec is a municipal electricity distributor operating under the Mangaung metropolitan municipality.
The accused had unlawfully gained entry into the substation and stole the panels valued at R500,000. Police spokesperson Sgt Mahlomola Kareli said the total damage to the infrastructure amounted to R2.5m.
The court on Monday sentenced the two to 15 years' imprisonment for damage to essential infrastructure. They were sentenced another 15 years each for theft from essential infrastructure.
The court ordered that five years of the sentence imposed on the theft count run concurrently with the sentence imposed on the count of damage to essential infrastructure, meaning each accused will effectively serve a sentence of 25 years.
“This significant sentencing underscores the commitment of the police and the justice system to combat infrastructure-related crimes that negatively impact essential services and the community,” Kareli said.
TimesLIVE
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